Impressive Giscard rejects MEPs’ charges of secrecy

Date: 28/03/02

By Martin Banks

VALERY Giscard d'Estaing faced a two-hour grilling from MEPs in the European Parliament yesterday - and came out smiling.

His robust performance before members of the constitutional affairs committee went some way to answering critics who have questioned his stewardship of the Convention on the future of Europe.

In a wide-ranging question-and-answer session with members, the Convention chairman:

• Admitted the forum was 'not totally representative';
• Hit back at secrecy claims surrounding the praesidium, its influential steering committee;
• Hinted he was in favour of an EU-wide referendum on the final text produced by the Convention.

Giscard said the 105-member Convention faced a 'very difficult' task, describing it as the 'first step on a short-term adventure'.

He was quizzed several times about the forum's much-criticised 'debating rules' and working methods of the praesidium. Monica Frassoni, joint leader of the parliamentary Green group, asked how the praesidium could be regarded as legitimate when no minutes of its meetings were taken.

She said: 'It has met several times already but there are no records of what happened. This could leave the forum open to accusations of being secret and lacking transparency.'

The former French president countered by saying that notes would be taken of all future meetings and these will be posted on the internet.

He told members: 'There will be no secrecy whatsoever. The meetings will not be confidential but open to everyone.'

Danish eurosceptic Jens-Peter Bonde questioned the make-up of the praesidium, pointing out that most of its 12 representatives came from two major political groups.

Giscard replied: 'It is not totally representative. I accept everyone wants to feel that their opinion will be heard and we will do try to do this. Thus far, however, there has been no significant falling out and we at least have something that I believe is workable.'

Small working groups would be set up produce draft texts for the Convention's monthly meetings, he added. The 76-year-old Convention chairman, who looked relaxed and joked with members during a lively debate, said he hoped the forum would produce more clarity on the distribution of power between the EU and member states.

Responding to a question on whether he supported a referenda on the European constitution, which many hope the Convention will produce, Giscard said: 'If you look at history, it is usually better to have across-the-board agreement.

'It will be up to each member state to decide whether to put the Convention's final text to a referendum. But, if that happens, I think the answer will be yes.' After the meeting, Dutch MEP Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufman, a member of the Group of European Left, described Giscard's appearance as 'an impressive performance'.

• The Greens/EFA group is to meet representatives of trade unions, NGOs and civil society in the European Parliament next Thursday (4 April) to discuss the Convention.

Valery Giscard d'Estaing faced MEPs from the constitutional affairs committee on 27 March 2002 who questioned his stewardship and the working methods of the Convention.

http://european-convention.eu.int/default.asp?lang=EN http://european-convention.eu.int/default.asp?lang=EN

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