Jacques Delors has not changed his vision of the future of Europe. The title of his last stance speaks for itself: "in favour of a European vanguard" (see the last issue of the Nouvel Observateur).
The path he sets out "after the disappointment of Nice" is clear:
- achieving enlargement ("much remains to be done") and "setting reasonable objectives for the large Europe, stepping back from the ambitions set out by the Single Act and the Maastricht Treaty";
- at the same time launching "a vanguard that would trace the path for European integration and assume the dynamics (…) The vanguard would have its own Council of Ministers and its own Parliament", whereas the European Commission would assume the link with the "Large Union" being "responsible for coherence between the two entities and the respect of the rules and the acquis communautaire".
We shall return to this stance when turning to the debate on "post-Nice".
(F.R.)