European Convention: some consensus, but disagreements remain, April 2003

The Informal European Council held in Athens on 16-17 March 2003 was an opportunity for EU leaders to discuss progress with the Convention on the Future of Europe. The Convention should have been discussed in March, at the Brussels European Council, but was forced off the agenda by the Iraq crisis.

Leaders - including for the first time in an Informal European Council the 10 new Member States as full participants - focused on issues relating to the reform of the EU institutions.

Those issues include a proposal to create the job of 'EU Foreign Minister', combining the roles of External Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten and the Union's High Representative for External Affairs, Javier Solana. Agreement has apparently been reached, so it seems that the post will be created; the details (including where the post will reside - Council or Commission?) remain to be decided.

Arguments are still going on over whether the current 'rotating Presidency' should be replaced with a permanent system. The idea of creating an EU President has again been supported by Prime Minister Tony Blair, who argues that it is even more important for a Union of 25 or more members to have a single point of contact for the outside world (the BBC quoted an official as saying 'the EU leader would be "someone the White House can call".') There are, however, concerns over the impact of creating an EU President might have on relationships between the Union's institutions.

There is also a continuing debate over the role of the European Commission, although there seems to be some consensus that the Commission is and should remain the Union's key institution.

In the President of the European Parliament's traditional speech to the European Council, Pat Cox addressed many of the issues raised by the Convention and sought to give a more down-to-earth perspective:

'At the end of the day, public opinion will pass judgement on the outcome. Our citizens are scarcely bothered with institutional theory. The mechanisms for decision-making, the nomination procedures, the institutions and their interplay fail to excite. Citizens will judge the final report of this Convention on the basis of very simple questions. Will it work? Will it improve our capacity to deliver? Will it promote prosperity? Will it enhance security? Will it increase our influence in the world? Is it efficient? Is it comprehensible? And, above all, as a Parliamentarian, I am sure citizens will ask: Does it place democracy, legitimacy and transparency at the heart of the European construct?'

He also outlined Parliament's views on some of the main issues, including the proposal for a President of the Union (which he said raises a number of questions about key relationships and democratic accountability), the role of the Parliament in electing the President of the European Commission, and the proposed merging of the functions of the High Representative and the Commissioner for External Relations into a single Minister for Foreign Affairs (Parliament would like that person to be a Member of the Commission).

Speaking at a press conference following the first day of the Athens Summit, the President of the European Convention, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, summarised progress so far and confirmed that the Convention will present the results of its deliberations at the Thessaloniki European Council on 20 June.

Links:

Greek Presidency of the EU:
	Homepage
	16.04.03:	Informal European Council: Presidency Press Conference, 16/4/2003
European Sources Online: Financial Times:
	22.04.03:	Giscard plan for president enters most divisive phase
BBC News Online:
	17.04.03:	Blair wants EU president
	16.04.03:	Blair's EU presidential ambition
European Parliament:
	Homepage
	16.04.03:	Address by Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament to the Informal European Council
European Convention:
	Homepage

Eric Davies
Researcher
Compiled: Tuesday, 22 April 2003

The Informal European Council held in Athens on 16-17 March 2003 was an opportunity for EU leaders to discuss progress with the Convention on the Future of Europe.