Brussels, 19/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former chairman of the European Convention which drew up the draft Constitutional Treaty, was quick to react to the conclusion of the meeting of the intergovernmental conference in Lisbon on 19 October. “That the heads of state and government have agreed on the text is, clearly, a good thing. If the text is ultimately ratified, we will be able to get back to the subject after the hiatus caused by the 'no' votes in the referendums in France and the Netherlands,” he said, noting, however, that “after three years of reflection, nothing new has been introduced”. While “the proposed tools remain intact” and “the European Union will be able to work better”, the text, nonetheless, is “a step backwards, giving up the constitutional notion contained in the Laeken Declaration and the European symbols (the flag and the anthem) which citizens had taken on board”. He regretted that “the aims of the political union of the continent of Europe were losing ground”. The new text retains the Treaty of Rome and the Maastricht Treaty, which, themselves, had been modified as a result of the 300 amendments brought by the Amsterdam and Nice Treaties. The former chairman of the Convention commented: “It is not certain that this complex presentation will make it easier for the ordinary citizen to understand”. “The changes are of greater advantage to Great Britain, which will have a very particular status: it has opted out of monetary union; it does not apply the Schengen Agreement; like Ireland and Poland, it is not constrained by the Charter of Fundamental Rights; and it can pick and choose in certain legal areas,” he commented. (O.J.)