EUROPEAN CONVENTION: DELEGATES DISCUSS DIVISION OF POWERS.

Apart from the inevitable discussions on the Commission's position, delegates In general focused on the question of where executive power would lie in the Union? Comments abounded on the various positions expressed recently by London, Madrid and Paris backing the notion of a Union President, appointed for several years and drawn from the European Council. The British Government's representative, Peter Hain, noted that "the question is not whether the Council should be stronger, but whether the Commission can be more effective". The German Government representative, Peter Glotz, whilst rejecting the notion of integrating the High Representative into the Commission, highlighted the danger posed by "institutional competition" stemming from such a development, which risks "weakening the Commission and the European Parliament".Convention Vice-President Guiliano Amato noted that a race for power has begun, a little like the Tour of Italy but that doping controls would only come at the end. He expressed no interest in whether the winner would be Mr Prodi or Mr Blair. Rather, he is concerned that the Convention should arrive at a compromise, dismissing any system where the Council dominates the Commission, or vice versa. He is adamant that a "third way" must exist. In this context, the report on the reform of the Council, which High Representative Javier Solana is due to present to the Seville Summit, will be of crucial importance since decisions by Heads of State and Government may conclude reflection on the Institutions and seriously restrict the Convention's room for manoeuvre. Mr Amato commented: "I am confident that the European Council will not want to usurp the space allotted to the Convention since the Convention is in a sense the Council's offspring, and I always trusted my father".Making a success of the Union's missions.The debate on how the EU institutions exercise their powers and on the effectiveness of their legal instruments - the principal themes of the session - clarified certain majority tendencies. All members of the Convention have agreed, following the conclusions of their last meeting, that if the separation of powers is to reflect accurately the different roles of the EU institutions then some clarification is necessary. Commissioner Ant?nio Vitorino argued for the current Article 3 of the Treaty to be rewritten. Another position with majority support is to maintain a certain degree of flexibility within a system in which it...