ECONOMIC & SOCIAL COMMITTEE: FRENCH TRADE UNIONIST ELECTED AS NEW PRESIDENT.

Mr Briesch dwelt in some length on the European Convention on the Future of Europe, and lost no time in pointing out that it is still dominated by a "small number of initiates". He went on to advocate a Constitutional Treaty, or even an EU Constitution, saying that this would "represent a quantum leap in the democratic legitimacy of the EU". The new ESC President also said that he would like to see qualified majority voting extended even further, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights incorporated into the new Constitution. The Convention, he said, should produce a framework of strong democratic legitimacy and clearly defined powers and responsibilities to ensure that these rights are respected, by developing a competitive economy, building a harmonious society with less inequality and encouraging the involvement of citizens. Furthermore, in his view, this framework has to "allow for the maintenance not only of traditions and specific characteristics, but also of diverse cultural systems".

As for the EU's decision-making procedure, Mr Briesch insisted that: "The Community method must remain the basis of the Union's future institutional architecture. Indeed, experience has taught us that every time the Community method is applied, satisfactory results are achieved, while we are frequently disappointed by the mediocre and ineffective results obtained with the inter-governmental method", he said. "The fact is that the interest of the Union is neither the sum of the interests of the Member States, nor their lowest common denominator. It cannot therefore be decided in negotiations where every participant has a right of veto. I am convinced that, ultimately, only a democratic and federal structure will enable us to tackle urgent political and practical...