08/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - Institutional provisions in the Lisbon Treaty were one of the themes in the seminar organised at the end of 2008 in Rome by the Fondazione Alcide De Gasperi. At this event, Pietro Calamia, the former Italian permanent representative to the EU, stressed the positive innovations in the treaty (his speech is published in the Lettera Diplomatica N.997, Circolo di Studi Diplomatico, via degli Astalli 3/A, 00186 Rome). Ambassador Calamia highlighted a very important but often ignored aspect in the discussions of recent months following the Irish rejection of the treaty, namely the broad extension of the vote to majority voting at the Council, and therefore legislative codecision with the European Parliament. Mr Calamia welcomed the “foresighted political vision demonstrated by the Italian government which had for years fought for a greater role for Parliament (which he acknowledged as being down to the influence of Altiero Spinelli). He also referred to the “confidential and difficult” debate at the Committee of Permanent Representatives on the subject of amendments to the Council's internal regulation aiming to facilitate voting at the Council - a debate that was expected to lead to “fierce discussion” between ministers and which in December 1986 led to a decision under the British Presidency (namely the possibility of voting at the Council at the request of not just the Presidency but also a member state or the Commission - an innovative formula that was Italian, Mr Calamia pointed out.) He also highlighted another aspect of the Lisbon Treaty (see A Look Behind the News on 19-20 December 2008) and warned against the risks of a “stable presidency” that no longer exercised political responsibility. Mr Calamia warned that “the Presidency is a political and not a bureaucratic exercise” and he posed the question of what influence a political personality would have on heads of state and government if it no longer exercised political responsibility. (M.G./transl.rh)