Backing for new clauses in treaty

Date: 05/09/1996

By Rory Watson

UNION foreign ministers will be briefed this weekend on the overwhelming support among member states for guarantees of greater public access to EU information to be included in the revised Maastricht Treaty.

They will also be told that governments are broadly in favour of writing in provisions for punitive sanctions against member states which violate basic human rights.

But the large measure of approval for enshrining the two basic principles in the revised treaty contrasts with bitter criticism from the Commission of the failure of Intergovernmental Conference negotiators to reach any form of agreement on the future handling of the Union's external economic relations.

IGC Commissioner Marcelino Oreja gave an unusually pessimistic report to his colleagues yesterday (4 September) of negotiators' lack of progress on central issues such as the Union's relationship with the World Trade Organisation and the handling of the international aspects of intellectual property and services. None of these is covered by existing EU provisions.

Noel Dorr, Irish chairman of the IGC talks, acknowledged the Commission's criticism but suggested it was over hasty.

Speaking after the negotiating group's first meeting since the summer recess this week, he said: “The discussion entered very much into detail and perhaps we need greater clarity. The Commission was disappointed at the lack of ambition that emerged, but I hope we can get more discussion and raise the level of ambition.”

At stake is the extent to which responsibility for key areas of international economic activity are handled by the EU institutions or by member states.

Dorr, however, will not be looking to foreign ministers to break the deadlock when they meet informally in Tralee in south west Ireland this weekend (7-8 September).

“I have been asked to give a brief summary and to inform ministers of our work since July, of our progress, planning and where we are going. But I do not feel this will turn to detailed discussion, and there will be no texts,” he said.

After three meetings chewing over specific changes to the Maastricht Treaty, officials now believe there is virtual agreement that the principle of openness and transparency should be written into the new text for the first time. Similarly, there is broad support for a strengthening of the EU's commitment to human rights and non-discrimination as it prepares to enlarge its membership. This would include a new article which would specifically allow EU leaders to suspend a member state for persistent violations of fundamental rights.