Bold plan for integration

Date: 09/11/1995

By Rory Watson

EUROPE'S Christian Democratic parties have become the first pan-European political force to set out in detail the changes they want to make to the Maastricht Treaty after adopting an ambitious programme for a more closely integrated Europe.

Wilfried Martens, leader of the European People's Party (EPP) and a former Belgian Prime Minister, acknowledged he and his allies faced difficulties in steering the agenda, with its far-reaching political, fiscal and security proposals, through next year's Intergovernmental Conference (IGC). But he refused to be deterred.

“We are swimming against the tide of Euro-sceptics with these resolutions,” he said after this week's three-day EPP congress in Madrid. But he added: “Most members are still faithful to the traditional party platform. Most will defend this document.”

The most controversial elements of the group's IGC programme involve support for consideration of an EU tax which would replace elements of national taxation and a new requirement for countries wishing to become members of the Union in future to join Europe's defence arm, the Western European Union, as well.

Both policies caused difficulties for the EPP's Scandinavian members, but were overwhelmingly adopted by the congress of the 20 centre-right parties.

The Christian Democrats hope their policies will be promoted during the IGC by their members in government. The programme has emerged as Spanish European Affairs Minister Carlos Westendorp is putting the final touches to the draft report he will submit to the Madrid European summit in mid-December.

Members of Westendorp's Reflection Group will be given an early glimpse of the conclusions he is drawing from their five months of deliberations when they meet in Brussels next Monday (13 November).

Spanish diplomats say it is still not clear whether the complete draft report, or just parts of it, will be available for examination by the group.

But the view is emerging strongly that Westendorp has given up any attempt to reach a consensus on the issues that the group will recommend be examined in the IGC, along with their preferred solutions.

“He is expected to confront government leaders with the straight facts, saying these are the issues and this is how members of the group see them,” said one EU diplomat involved in the discussions.

The final stages of Westendorp's reflection exercise coincide with the launch by the European Parliament of its first state of the Union debate. The parliamentary initiative will provide MEPs and the presidents of three of the EU's main institutions - Council of Ministers, Commission and Parliament - with a rare opportunity to put immediate issues to one side and concentrate on the central challenges ahead.

In a bid to structure the debate in Strasbourg on 15 November after opening speeches by Parliament President Klaus Hänsch, Commission President Jacques Santer, Spanish Premier Felipe Gonzalez and political group leaders, the organisers aim to limit speeches in the day-long debate to three central themes: citizens' rights, employment and foreign policy issues.

But with no final resolution in the offing and the ground rules for the debate still being drawn up, MEPs admit they are entering the unknown and are uncertain how effective the exercise, which some would like to organise annually, will be.

“We frankly do not know if this will be a lot of hot air or will help to raise our attention away from day-to-day matters to a higher plane and issues more central to the Union's future,” said one MEP.

Martens identified some of the themes he believes the Union should address in his closing speech to his party's Madrid congress. He singled out the challenges of the changing world economy, the environment, social protection, internal cohesion within societies and information technology.

More fundamentally, he told fellow politicians: “We must find a new political language to enable us to meet public concerns, to encourage public participation in political and community life, thus enabling people to become part of the new society of the 21st century.”

The EPP believes one way to achieve this is to introduce a clear preface to the EU treaties directed clearly at citizens and spelling out their fundamental and human rights.

But the congress entered more controversial territory by demanding complete legislative parity between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.

It recommended having just one decision-making procedure - co-decision - for all policy areas, including agriculture, which would ensure MEPs the final right to veto draft legislation of which they disapproved.

EPP delegates also backed the campaign to strip away secrecy in EU decision-making by voting to open Council of Ministers' meetings at which decisions are taken to the public.

But they were unable to agree on changes to guarantee a better balance between larger and smaller countries when legislation is agreed by qualified majority voting.