Praesidium Trapped In IGC

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 2nd Jun 2003

Reacting to the latest turn in the events of the Convention today, Liberal spokesman Andrew Duff said:

"It is clear that the Praesidium has already fallen victim to the IGC. It needs to be rescued by the wider Convention, and especially by the forceful interaction of the party political groups.

"It is deplorable that the Praesidium has not found the guts to propose some of the radical measures that command great support on the floor of the Convention. The possibility is now opening up that the Praesidium will fail to match up to its task of enhancing the capacity of the Union to act more effectively, and to give life to transnational parliamentary democracy.

"Those, like Mr Blair, who reject an extension of qualified majority voting are condemning the future Union to paralysis. It is nonsense to claim that the Convention should not be changing the balance of power between the institutions when his own proposal for a super-president of the European Council would smash the tried and tested Community method.

"The letter of the Nine wanting to go back to Nice is crass. All nine have signed for different and contradictory reasons.

"If the settlement of Nice is to be the building block of Europe's future, what on earth has the constitutional Convention been for?

"All the essential elements of the package deal are there, with one exception. That is the integrated presidency, over the longer term, of all the executive functions of the Union. I and many other members of the Convention will be insisting that this element is included. It can help to catalyse the reaching of the final agreement."