EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: WALLSTROM EXPRESSES COMMISSION'S SCEPTICISM ON PROMOTING EU CONSTITUTION.

Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee curiously fails to question Margot Wallstrom about the absence of any clear competence over institutional matters in the description of her future portfolio, even though MEPs had earlier voiced misgivings about this (see issue 2892). By contrast, Committee members do confirm through their questions their desire to see the European Commission develop an ambitions communication strategy on the Constitution (see issue 2896).

Mrs Wallstrom nevertheless defends the EU executive's existing stance. "I will play my part in informing European citizens in a clear and objective way on what the Constitutional Treaty means. This will need to be achieved without undue interference in the national debates", she explains, adding: "there should be no misunderstanding: it is the task of the Member State governments to bring the ratification process to a successful conclusion (...),the Commission must be aware of the very limited means at its own disposal to achieve this".

Prudence on early introduction of institutional provisions.

The same prudence guides Margot Wallstrom in her answers regarding early implementation of certain provisions of the Constitution. "From a political - or rather democratic - point of view, I do not think the Commission should generally "apply in advance" provisions of the Constitutional Treaty. Such a move could be perceived as circumventing the national Parliaments and the citizens and could jeopardise the ratification processes", she explains.

The EPP's demand that the Commission look to take account of the Protocol on subsidiarity even before the Treaty is ratified (see issue 2894) is not raised, but the Parliamentary Committee does question the Commissioner-designate on early introduction of the European External Action Service (EEAS). "In any event, I would...