Govt welcomes adoption of new draft EU constitution

The Government this evening broadly welcomed the Convention on the Future of Europe's adoption of a draft constitution for an enlarged European Union.

The draft document was adopted by consensus earlier today, 46 years after the founding Treaty of Rome was signed.

Visibly moved after 16 months of hard debate and bargaining, Convention president Mr Valery Giscard d'Estaing and the 105-member forum rose for the EU's anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, and toasted their historic achievement with champagne. "This result is imperfect but it is more than could have been hoped," Mr Giscard said.

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said Ireland's main concern was the equality of treatment between member states but that he was "happy enough" with the proposals.

Minister for Europe, Mr Dick Roche, said the draft constitution was a "very positive document".

He said it was one which the Government could "confidently promote and recommend to the Irish people."

The Minister said it reversed initial proposals to give "overarching powers" to the president and guaranteed each member state a Commissioner.

These moves were very much in favour of smaller states, like Ireland, and an improvement on the Nice Treaty, he said.

Most of the 28 nations participating in the Convention on the Future of Europe signalled they would fight in talks later this year to preserve rules that give small states, such as Ireland, voting power disproportionate to their population size.

Speakers representing EU governments, national parliaments, the European Parliament and the European Commission all broadly endorsed the outcome, while hinting at lingering differences.

Key changes would include the appointment of a long-term president of the European Council for up to five years, replacing the current rotating presidency under which each member state takes the helm for six months.

The draft also proposes an EU foreign minister and a slimmed-down European Commission of 15 full members, based on the principle of strict rotation to ensure equality of all states. The Commission is the EU's executive body.

One issue sure to feature in the IGC is an unresolved dispute over the future system for majority voting. Spain, backed by Ireland, Poland and many smaller states, has urged the retention of complex voting rules contained in the EU's Nice Treaty, which came into force this year.

In Mr Giscard's draft, EU decisions would go through if backed by at least half of member states representing 60 per cent of the EU's total population.

The Nice Treaty gave Poland and Spain 27 votes each, only two fewer than Germany, which has more than twice their population. France, Britain and Italy also have 29 votes each.

After the Thessaloniki summit on June 20th-21st, the Convention will still have to fine-tune part of the constitution dealing with EU policies. An Intergovernmental Conference due to start in October will have the final say on the whole text.

Dublin MEP, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, said: "The incorporation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights as a legally binding part of the constitution is a significant achievement".

The Green Party gave a mixed reaction to the publication of the EuropeanConstitution in Brussels today.

Party Chairman and member of the Convention, Mr John Gormley TD, said: "The convention method is far more transparent, yet it cannot claim to be totally democratic as there were no votes on any issue."

"There remain a number of areas that are extremely problematic. Inparticular, Articles 40.3, 40.6 and 40.7 mean that Ireland will have to increaseits defence spending considerably and could join a common defence without areferendum," he said.

The Fine Gael MEP, Mr John Cushnahan, who is an alternate member of the European Parliament delegation to the Convention, welcomed the new draft constitution.

"The Convention has been an historic exercise in constitution building. It hasbrought more transparency, democracy and inclusivity to the process by involvinggroups who represent many sections of European citizens," he said.

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