Press Release

30/05/2003

Convention on the Future of Europe – the Convention method must be followed. Elmar Brok MEP

At today’s meeting of the Convention on the future of Europe the leader of the EPP Convention Group, Elmar Brok, called on he President of the Convention to return to the Convention method. "Our work may not anticipate the classical form of the Intergovernmental Conference at which individual countries can without any reason say “no”, declared Brok in Brussels today, 30.05.2003. The Convention must be characterised by equality. Each Convention Member must be correctly treated whether from "a large or small country, the European parliament or a national parliament”. Further Brok explained that he has concerns with regard to the working style in the Presidency of the Convention. The announcement of an additional meeting of the Presidency and the subsequent submission of a new paper on the institutional structure of the European Union is a positive development. It remains nevertheless incomprehensible why, despite over one hundred requests for modification on the part of the political families in the Convention, the Presidency failed to take these amendments into account. "We are industrious in making proposals but these seem to be as important to the Presidency as a bag of rice falling in China”, declared Brok.

As an example Brok referred to the EU foreign and security policy. The proposals submitted by the Presidency are even weaker than submitted by the Dehane Working Group. (Jean-Luc Dehane, former Belgian Prime Minister, is a Convention Vice President and chaired a Working group of the convention on foreign and security policies). This is not acceptable. "The large majority in the Convention expressed itself in favour of an increase in majority decision making in the foreign policy field. The Convention Presidency has now turned this upside down”. If the ideas of the Presidency become generally accepted, the capacity of the European Union to act in the area of foreign and security policy would be put in danger, declared Brok.

Elmar Brok congratulated the Convention President on being awarded the Charlemagne Prize and hoped this would encourage the President to deliver a successful Convention outcome to the European Council of Thessalonica. "Only by the acknowledging the Convention method will everybody be ready, at the end of the day, to find the necessary compromises”, concluded Brok.
(translation from the original German)

For further information: Rupert Krietemeyer, Tel.: +32 475 808600