Convention chief rapped for no-show

Date: 05/06/03

By Martin Banks

VALERY Giscard d'Estaing, the Convention's chairman, is under fire for refusing to come to Strasbourg this week to spell out his vision for Europe's future.

The former French president had been invited by the European Parliament's largest political group, the European People's Party (EPP) to hold a head-to-head debate with Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission.

But Giscard declined, citing yesterday's (4 June) Convention meetings in Brussels as the reason.

His refusal, however, did not go down well with German MEP Hans-Gert Pöttering, the EPP leader: "I am disappointed that Giscard has declined to accept our invitation. It is a pity and a great shame.

"It would have been good to have had a debate with him on his vision for Europe's future.

"This would not, as has been suggested, been an opportunity to negotiate details of the Convention, but simply a chance to have an exchange of views," Pöttering added.

An EPP insider was even more scathing of Giscard: "Prodi was more than willing to take part in the debate and you would have thought Giscard would have readily accepted an invitation to explain his proposals to the European Parliament," he said.

"His refusal to do so sends out the message that, perhaps, he has something to hide or that he has already decided what will appear in the constitution."

He added: "There is still a possibility that Giscard will be invited to address this month's mini-plenary in Brussels [18-19 June] but, really, it is all now a bit late in the day."

It is the second time Giscard refused to take part in a debate on the Convention with Prodi. Last month, the Frenchman cited Prodi's suggested venue for a debate - Brussels - as the reason. Giscard wanted instead a head-to-head debate in public with the Commission's president in another large EU city.

The President of the European Convention turned down a request from the European People's Party to attend a head-to-head debate with Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission.