THE European Council meets in Amsterdam to attempt to take a fresh step forward. We do not know whether this step will be a big or small one, or even if it will be a step in the right direction. Nor do we know whether we will have to wait a little longer.

This time, we really are at a crossroads. Only one road is right; the others could lead us astray. The complexity of Community institutions and policies, the consequent disenchantment of the public, and our obligation to make a success of eastwards enlargement - these three factors oblige us to choose once and for all the European model we want for the beginning of the 21st century.

Thus far, we have been able to get along by improvising, but the time has come for a qualitative leap that will transform the European Union into something much closer to its citizens, something easier to understand and therefore easier to control. It is certainly not going to be easy. Elections in various memberstates have added to the uncertainties involved.

The European Parliament adopted a list of our priorities for the Amsterdam Summit, reiterated in parliament's resolution of June 11th. These priorities are not for our own benefit, but for Europe's citizens, as I stressed at the informal Noordwijk European Council. I will do so again in Amsterdam and I will continue to do so for as long as I have to.

The parliament of which I am president is responsible for defending the global interests of all Europeans; its function is to seek and propose solutions which will make it easier for us all to work together. We have established four principal objectives: a genuine citizens' Europe, enlargement, parliamentary democracy and peace and stability.

Enlargement to include the countries of central and eastern Europe is a matter of the greatest importance, but its success depends on adapting the Union to meet the ever more vocal demands of its citizens. How would it benefit the new memberstates to join a confused and dysfunctional Union?

Our citizens will only support the European project if they can see and understand its usefulness. To meet the first requirement, the Treaty must permit the Union to tackle the problems of grassroots Europe; notably, unemployment, insecurity, health and protection of the environment and of consumers.

The second requirement means improving our decisionmaking procedures, making them more democratic while simultaneously improving the public's access to information.

We need a Union which is both more efficient and more democratic, in which an ever increasing number of decisions are taken on a majority basis, in order to prevent them from being indefinitely blocked by an individual memberstate.

Our Union must take its decisions with the same speed and flexibility as our competitors in the wider world. The possibility of deciding on a majority basis pushes governments into seeking consensus, often without any need for a vote, since they know a decision may be taken anyway.

More efficient decision making demands efficient democratic control by the European Parliament, just as every national parliament exercises democratic control over its own national government.

The European Parliament has recently demonstrated, in the case of the "mad cow", that it is capable of exercising this control on behalf of Europe's citizens. Now the parliament is calling for its power to approve legislation on an equal footing with the council to be extended, so that such problems can be pre-empted in good time.

Democracy, as far as the Union is concerned, means efficiency. The Union's foreign and security policy requires both. Hitherto, it has had neither. Despite the fact Europe spends vast amounts on international cooperation and humanitarian aid, its ability to achieve peace and stability is limited Bosnia has left many Europeans scarred and outraged.

The European Parliament has submitted prudent and considered proposals to do what was not done at Maastricht, and equip the Union to prevent a repetition of that tragedy.

Calling for greater transparency in Community matters, parliament has begun a complete review of the rules on access to parliamentary documents. Parliament has also asked the InterGovernmental Conference to permit the adoption of a statute of common rights and obligations for all MEPs, instead of the present absurd situation where we have 15 different statutes for the MEPs of the 15 different countries.

Our common goal is an adequate response to the demands of the European public. The Treaty of Rome inaugurated the longest period of peace, stability and progress seen in recent times by a large part of the European continent.

We have the twofold obligation to pass that on to future generations and to make it available to the citizens of the countries which for so many years lived behind the Iron Curtain. We are Europeans and they are Europeans, and we belong together.