Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-03-Speech-3-031"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030903.2.3-031"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
As Mr Giscard d’Estaing and Mr Fini have said, the Convention has indeed represented and established a pillar in the process of European integration, and the Italian Presidency sees this achievement as a basic reference for the work of the Intergovernmental Conference.
There are three guiding principles which the Presidency intends to follow in directing the proceedings of the Intergovernmental Conference, which, as you are aware, will open on 4 October in Rome. First of all, the Presidency considers it essential to adhere to the timetable drawn up by the Thessaloniki European Council: this will mean pressing ahead resolutely in an attempt to achieve a positive outcome in time for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 2004. This requirement has dictated the Italian Presidency's primary objective of conducting the IGC proceedings at a rapid pace, in the hope of reaching an overall, comprehensive agreement on the constitutional text by December. The future Constitutional Treaty – a Constitution for Europe, as Mr Giscard d’Estaing has described it – can then be signed sometime between 1 May 2004, the date on which the ten new Member States will join the Union, and the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 2004. Any extension of the constitutional negotiations beyond those dates would raise two serious problems of legitimacy and democratic transparency: on the one hand, it would mean a gradual dissipation of the constituent foundations built up by the Convention, and, on the other, it would mean asking the European voters to elect their Parliament without knowing the constitutional shape of the future Union.
The second objective of the Presidency is to preserve the structure and balance of the text drawn up by the Convention. We do, as I have already said, consider it appropriate to respect what can only be described as the constituent foundations built up over 16 months by a democratic body in which governments, national parliaments and Union institutions were represented. At the same time, we consider it inappropriate to reopen debates which are now well and truly over. The political wealth accrued as a result of the success achieved will not be dissipated or weakened by the Conference’s proceedings; rather, the Conference must undertake to improve and supplement those parts of the Treaty on which full agreement has not yet been reached, the parts of the Treaty – I reiterate for the sake of clarity – which do not deal with the institutional pillars defined by the Convention. The Italian Presidency will therefore oppose any questioning of the overall balance of the draft and its basic features. The Presidency believes that the interests of Europe and the European citizens must prevail over any defence of particular interests which could lead to substantial amendments of any kind to the Treaty. From this point of view, the opinions presented by Parliament and the European Commission will be factors to be taken into full consideration in the course of the Conference.
The third and final point which will constitute a guideline during the Conference is the need to achieve consensus on a number of topics which are still controversial using the desired principle of unanimity: this will, under no circumstances, force the Italian Presidency to negotiate a ‘downwards’ compromise which would constitute a retreat from the Convention’s proposals.
Our aim is to achieve a high-quality outcome commensurate with the European public’s expectations and capable of ensuring that the Union functions effectively and democratically on a long-term basis. We are not drafting a Constitution for Europe designed to last only a few years, and here we are relying on the fundamental support of the European Parliament.
As you know, the Italian Presidency has started the procedures for convening the Intergovernmental Conference, which will open in Rome on 4 October. We believe that the Conference must be conducted at a high political level, as has already been stipulated by the European Council, namely at Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister level, but we also believe that the representatives of all the European institutions must take part so that the IGC is genuinely the ideal continuation of the Convention’s work. On that basis, I will put forward a proposal to the effect that the European Parliament should be guaranteed participation through its representatives in the work of the IGC, both at the level of Foreign Affairs Ministers and at the level of Heads of Government, with the participation of the President of the European Parliament. Any other solution would, indeed, represent a step backwards in relation to the democratic method for revising the Treaties based on the principle and the requirement of transparency and consideration for the citizens.
In conclusion, we intend to seek the views and recommendations of Parliament and the other European institutions in the firm belief that, as Mr Fini has already said, endowing the European Union with a Constitution is a challenge not just for some countries more than others, still less just for the Italian Presidency, which has the honour of guiding the Council through this phase: it is a challenge for everybody. We owe it to our citizens: if we fail to meet this challenge we have failed everyone, including those – and I hope that there will not be anybody – who have attempted to make particular interests prevail over the general interest. We undertake to prevent any such destructive attempts succeeding."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples