Duff welcomes Prodi proposals

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"GOOD STARTING POINT FOR EU REFORM" - DUFF SUPPORTS COMMISSION PROPOSALS

Andrew Duff, European Liberal Democrat spokesman in the Convention, has given a broad welcome to the publication of the European Commission's proposals on institutional reform of the Union. Speaking in the debate in the Parliament, Mr Duff said that the Prodi Commission was right to assert its authority and bring the argument about where power lies to the floor of the Convention.

Mr Duff congratulated the Commission for having rejected the so-called proposals of MM. Blair, Aznar and Chirac for a super-president of the European Council, but he cautioned that the solution proposed for the ordinary Council meetings (of annually elected ministers) would not bring greater consistency and coherence. He recommended that the Commissioners responsible for foreign policy, economic policy and interior affairs, respectively, should chair the Council when it acted in an executive capacity in those areas.

Mr Duff has also welcomed the creative thinking from the Commission concerning how the new constitution should come into force.

He states: "Twenty five member states will be asked to accept the refoundation of the Union on constitutional grounds. It is simply unreasonable to accept that the future of Europe could be jeopardised by the veto of one or two states. Ratification by something less than all states must be permitted to enable the new constitution to come into force".

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