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Press Release :
26-01-2000
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Commission's opinion on the IGC: 'an ambitious but incomplete document'
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This was the first reaction of Mrs Nicole Fontaine, President of the European Parliament, to the document submitted to Parliament on 26 January 2000 by Mr Romano Prodi and Mr Michel Barnier.
The President considered - subject to closer examination of the document by Parliament - that the Commission had 'had the courage to make a number of proposals which point in the direction advocated by Parliament, and which have the merit of opening up the debate'.
Mrs Fontaine added: 'It is of major significance that a position has been taken on extending qualified majority voting in Council and, therefore, EP/Council codecision. The Commission has submitted a list of areas in which unanimity will continue to be required. Nonetheless, I have to stress that Parliament wants QMV to become the rule in the fields of taxation and social policy for all measures relating to the proper functioning of the internal market'.
On voting in Council and the question of the double majority (of Member States and of population), the President welcomed the fact that the Commission had put forward a proposal which 'has the merits of clarity and simplicity and can be understood by everyone'.
On the subject of reinforced cooperation (the possibility of a group of Member States playing a vanguard role in the implementation of certain policies), Mrs Fontaine endorsed the Commission's view that individual Member States should not be allowed the right of veto in such cases. She further stressed that 'the workings of reinforced cooperation of this type will need to be closely monitored, since respect for the powers of Parliament is essential'.
She welcomed a further aspect of the document, namely the proposal to reorganise the Treaties into two parts, in the interests of 'improved readability'.
However, Mrs Fontaine felt that the Commission could have 'shown greater determination on the subject of its own composition', adding: 'This is a highly sensitive matter, and I would have preferred to see debate commence on one of the two proposals, as this would have made it easier for everyone to take up a position from the beginning of the negotiations'.
Concerning the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the President 'regretted the Commission's failure to begin, at this stage, with the enunciation of a simple principle: the Charter should be binding and should be an integral part of the Treaties'.
On the composition of the European Parliament, Mrs Fontaine said that she 'fully understood that the Commission had left it up to Parliament to put forward its own proposals', adding that Parliament would 'begin work on this as soon as possible'. She also said she was 'extremely pleased that the Commission has taken up Parliament's idea that a certain number of MEPs should be elected from pan-European lists. This would have major political reverberations, as it would bolster the role of the pan-European political parties'.
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Press enquiries: Jacques NANCY, President's Spokesman
TEL : +32-2.284.24.85 - GSM : +32-476.969.672 - FAX : +32-2.284.49.73 - E-MAIL : jnancy@europarl.europa.eu
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