EUROPEAN UNION: PARLIAMENT GIVES ITSELF POLITICAL ROOM FOR MANOEUVRE IN POST-NICE PROCESS.

PositionPreparing for Intergovernmental Conference

The Resolution says the IGC will be convened in the second half of 2003 (rather than 2004 as stipulated in the Declaration on the future of the EU that was annexed to the Nice Treaty) so that everyone can make their mind up before the 2004 European elections and clarify the options to voters, commented I[currency]igo Mendez de Vigo during the general debate on May 30. He added that the only thing that could not be done without was hope - the Nice Treaty is not what we wanted but thanks to the declaration on the future of the EU, we have the embryo of the necessary future reforms. Antonio Jose Seguro also expressed his disillusion, saying that the Nice Treaty was a lost opportunity. Mr Seguro explained that at least Nice had made progress on enlargement and that the EP wants to contribute to finding solutions to the European project, rather than making things worse. The two rapporteurs concentrated above all, with some insistence, on the EP's demand that a convention be set up. Mr Seguro presented the President of the General Affairs Council (who was dressed in pink), Anna Lindh, with a red 'Yes to the Convention' sticker which most of the MEPs were also wearing. The Parliament President, Nicole Fontaine, who also likes wearing bright coloured clothing, said that the sticker matched Ms Lindh's style.--The Constitutional Affairs Committee is calling for a Convention to be convened, made up of members of the European Parliament, national parliaments, the Commission and the governments of the Member States, to prepare for the IGC which is to carry out the next revision of the Treaties. The Convention, which is expected to be convened at the start of 2002, should submit to the IGC a constitutional proposal based on the findings of a broad public debate, which will serve as the basis for the proceedings of the IGC. The committee is issuing an appeal to the national parliaments to support the convening of such a Convention when they take their decision on the ratification of the Nice Treaty and says the candidate countries should also be involved.This is the main political message contained in the draft Resolution submitted by I[currency]igo Mendez de Vigo and Ant[cent]nio Jose Seguro on the Treaty of Nice and the future of the European Union.While highly critical of the Nice Treaty, the draft resolution notes that it has nevertheless removed the last formal obstacle to enlargement. However, it stresses that a Union of 27 Member States or more...

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