Andrew Duff calls for renogotiation of the Constitution

3.33.54pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 16th Jun 2005

Andrew Duff MEP, European Liberal Democrat spokesman on the Constitution, has reiterated his call for the European Council to do more than pause for reflection. In a statement today, he says:

"It is good news that at long last European leaders are realising that they have to get personally engaged in a large political debate about the future of Europe. One can be forgiven for being cynical when one hears Mr Blair launch himself into this topic when he and his ministers treated the Convention on the Future of Europe with a mixture of fear and contempt.

"However, better late than never.

"But just a pause for reflection will not be enough. Pausing without dynamic leads to stagnation. Nobody will believe that this European Council is best equipped to stimulate or manage the political debate on the scale that is needed. Who will believe that the present leadership has the calibre to resolve the deep political crisis that the European Union faces? Nor can the European Parliament or the Commission succeed on their own.

"The European Council should add some impetus to the resolution of the crisis by recognising that the text of the Constitution has to be redrafted if there is any chance of it being accepted by the French and Dutch electorates.

"This will of necessity require a new Convention, with a fresh mandate and composition. The new Convention should be directed to review in particular the common policies of the Union that are found in Part III of the Constitution. These need to be modernised and heavily edited.

"Secondly, the rigid structure of the present Constitution should be relaxed. A hierarchy must be established between the different Parts so that Part III becomes distinctly subsidiary to the truly constitutional provisions in Part I.

"This reform will give the Constitution the capacity to develop in the future to reflect changing social, economic and political circumstances."

ENDS/...