Brussels, 14/06/2007 (Agence Europe) - “Citizens are not very interested in (Europe's) architecture. They are not especially interested in the car engine but rather are more focused on its ability to travel to the desired policy destinations,” said European Movement International (EMI) President Pat Cox on Tuesday 12 June, presenting the interim results of six Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue, Debate projects set up by Notre Europe, Deutsche Gesellschaft and European House Hungary, and supported by the European Commission (see EUROPE 9281). “Put more fuel in the car. Don't dilute the fuel that is already there!” he added. On behalf of EMI, former EP President Mr Cox called on the European summit to “avoid a low-level text that would significantly dilute the existing constitutional text”. On the evidence of the six projects to encourage debate among citizens on the future of Europe, those parts of the Constitutional Treaty that should be retained were, he said, the ones which involved citizens, for example, “the citizens' right of initiative and the Charter of Fundamental Rights”.
German Social Democrat Jo Leinen had the same message. “Citizens want more Europe, not less. … Two red lines must not be exceeded: there must be no reduction in or removal of the democratic improvements which affect citizens' rights and the opportunities to block or to veto must not be increased”. If the European summit does not take account of these points next week, Europe will run the risk of renewed opposition, Mr Leinen, the chairman of the EP constitutional affairs committee, warned. He said that, in November, the EP would hold the first Citizens' Forum “on all the issues on the agenda of the next Intergovernmental Conference” which will be called in December under Portuguese presidency (see EUROPE 9310). Attending the presentation of the interim results of the six Plan D projects, Institutional Relations and Information Strategy Commissioner Margot Wallström spoke about the issues that citizens wanted to raise when they are asked about the future of Europe: “the environment, energy, globalisation, security, the role of the EU in the world”. She said she intended to hold a meeting, under Portuguese presidency, with the six projects to develop a more holistic approach, and to be able to present something more concrete before the December European Council. She announced the launch of a study on the organisation of citizens' summits alongside European summits. (mb)