The Convention delivers

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Andrew

THE CONVENTION DELIVERS

This article first appeared in Lib Dem News of 16th June 2003

The Convention has delivered up the main part of the new constitution of the European Union. The first test of the Convention’s success is the extent to which its draft is accepted as the basis for the intergovernmental conference (IGC) which follows in October. The bickering in Thessalonika this week is not encouraging. The diplomats are fighting to get back in charge. So the work of conventionnels does not stop here. We still need to complete the revision of the existing Treaty of Rome so that it accords with the constitution. And we have to campaign hard to have the fruits of the Convention fully respected.

How will the Convention’s analyses, arguments and prescriptions stand the test of time? I am encouraged on this score. The Convention overcame many wide divisions of opinion to settle on a fresh, large consensus about Europe’s future. Most silly ideas, if not quite all, were suppressed. There is to be no third legislative chamber made up of national MPs, for example, and no ‘re-nationalisation’ of the Union’s existing competences. In these instances and others, the reactionary efforts of the UK government have had little effect. The Charter of Fundamental Rights will be installed in the constitution with mandatory effect. The European Parliament will get an extension of legislative and budgetary power. There will be one new post of EU foreign minister, a vice-president of the Commission, who should at last be able to speak for the Union with one voice in world affairs. There has also been some useful rationalisation, simplification and openness.

On the downside, we should have made a clearer separation between the executive and legislative functions of the Council. Governments were allowed too many exceptions from the norm that decisions are taken by qualified majority vote. The controversial full-time president of the European Council has survived, although mercifully in an emasculated form.

The many Liberals in the Convention have contributed a lot to its overall success. We all decided to support the whole package without formal reservation. From Britain, Bob Maclennan has been an invaluable colleague.

Andrew Duff leads the Liberals in the Convention.