Giscard urged to give greater power to citizens of Europe

Date: 12/06/03

By Dana Spinant

VALERY Giscard d'Estaing is under pressure to accept last-minute changes to the draft constitution, which is set to be broadly backed tomorrow (Friday 13 June) by the 105-strong Convention on the EU's future, despite across-the-board reservations.

An alliance of MEPs and national assemblies' representatives urged Giscard to give EU citizens greater scope to influence the Union's agenda, calling for a "popular initiative" clause to be inserted in the constitution. Under this, one million citizens from at least eight member states could ask the European Commission to take action on a specific area. The executive would be obliged to consider such a petition.

A member of the Convention's inner circle confirmed that Giscard and the other praesidium members "like" the proposal.

The Parliamentarians also call for a larger use of majority voting in common foreign and security policy. All decisions in the Council of Ministers based on a proposal from the Union's future Foreign Minister, should be taken by qualified majority, instead of unanimity, they say.

In addition, a powerful alliance of the three main political parties, which dominate the Convention, urges Giscard to 'lighten' the provisions concerning the ratification of the constitution. Unless this is done, they warn, the constitution may never enter into force.

The leaders of the European People's Party (EPP), the European Socialists and the Liberals have, for the first time in the Convention's existence, united to call for the ratification clauses to be amended.

Backed by Giscard's deputy Giuliano Amato, the Socialists' leader in the Convention, the call cannot be ignored by the praesidium, one EPP member said.

Warning that the present rules impose "a dual lock on the Union's treaty revision procedures" (unanimous accord of member states at the intergovernmental conference - IGC - followed by ratification by all national parliaments), they call for a solution to avoid paralysis.

A political declaration should be added to the constitution, they say, forcing all member states to hold a new IGC to amend the rules for its entry into force, in case ratification is blocked by one or more states.

As for future modifications of the constitution, if they do not entail a shift of competencies from member states to the EU, unanimous accord should not be required. Backing from five-sixths of the states, plus the Parliament and Court of Justice should suffice for the changes to be effective.

The parties warn that, if changes are not made, the Convention would have wasted its time with a constitution. And it should "face up to the possibility that ratification of the constitution may not happen," top Liberal Convention member Andrew Duff said.

An alliance of MEPs and national assemblies have proposed that an additional clause enabling EU citizens to petition the European Commission to take action on a specific policy area should be included in the draft constitution.