MEPs welcome Lib-Lab Statement on EU Reform

12.00.00am GMT Fri 4th Feb 2000

Labour and Liberal Democrat Euro-MPs have welcomed the publication of the joint position paper between the Government and the Liberal Democrats in Britain on the forthcoming Intergovernmental Conference of the European Union.

Andrew Duff, Constitutional Spokesman of the European Liberal Democrats, and Richard Corbett, Constitutional Spokesman of the European Socialists, have agreed the following statement:

"Today's statement from the Joint Cabinet Committee is a welcome sign of a cross-party attempt to strengthen British European policy.

"The United Kingdom can and should play a far more constructive role in building the rule of law and parliamentary democracy at the European level.

"This IGC is an important opportunity to develop Britain's partnership with the Union.

"We hope that discussions between the two parties will now proceed to take on board the essential proposals of the European Parliament, supported by both Labour and Liberal Democrat MEPs. We are asking the IGC to do the following:

to make qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council and co-decision with the Parliament the norm in EU law-making, and to confine unanimity to only the most important and controversial matters;

• to include in the Treaty a Charter of Fundamental Rights;

• to improve access of the individual citizen to the European Court of Justice;

• to rationalise and simplify the Treaty and divide it in two between basic law and the policy implementing chapters - the first amendable by national constitutional procedures, with parts of the second amendable by a more flexible procedure involving the European Parliament.

"Now that the member states have intervened openly in the domestic politics of one of their partners, they cannot now avoid providing an appropriate constitutional framework."