The European integration process is rooted in the values, fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The Charter of Fundamental Rights is a unique expression of European identity. It is proof that the European Union is something far more than an economic community, that it is a community united by the shared values of the countries and peoples of Europe.

To the citizens of Europe the Charter is confirmation that in this integrating community to which they belong they have not only duties but also rights. Hence the Charter has a key role to play in helping Europe's citizens identify with the Union.

We therefore welcome the emerging consensus on the need to make the Charter an integral and legally binding part of the European constitution, without thereby conferring on the Union any new competences.

Given the fundamental nature of the Charter, its political impact is just as important as its legally binding status. Anyone looking up the European constitution expects to see his fundamental rights and freedoms spelt out right at the beginning. To tuck away the Charter in some protocol would be to deny its real worth and importance.

We therefore call for the entire Charter to be included in a prominent position in the text of the European Constitutional Treaty itself.

We call on all members of the Convention to endorse this initiative.

Teresa Almeida Garrett, Peter Altmaier, Pascale Andreani, Vytenis Andriukaitis, Michael Attalides, Paraskevas Avgerinos, Eduarda Azevedo, Robert Badinter, Peter Balazs, Michel Barnier, Pervenche Beres, Maria Berger, Josep Borrell Fontelles, Mihael Brejc, Elmar Brok, Hans Martin Bury, Carlos Carnero Gonzalez, Gabriel Cisneros Laborda, Nikolaos Constantopoulos, Alberto Costa, Manfred Dammeyer, Alfonso Dastis, Karel de Gucht, Proinsias de Rossa, Kemal Dervis, Dominique de Villepin, Panayiotis Demetriou, Elio Di Rupo, Lamberto Dini, Guilherme d'Oliveira Martins, Andrew Duff, Olivier Duhamel, Péter Eckstein-Kovacs, Caspar Einem, Hannes Farnleitner, Ben Fayot, Joschka Fischer, Jacques Floch, Marta Fogler, Michael Frendo, Emilio Gabaglio, John Gormley, Peter Gottfried, Genewefa Grabowska, Hubert Haenel, Klaus Hänsch, Paul Helminger, Danuta Hübner, Panayiotis Ioakimidis, Georges Katiforis, Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann, Piia-Noora Kauppi, András Kelemen, Kimmo Kiljunen, Jan Kohout, Alain Lamassoure, Janez Lenarcic, Pierre Lequiller, Evelin Lichtenberger, Manuel Lobo Antunes, Ernani Lopes, Diego Lopez Garrido, Hanja Maij-Weggen, Luis Marinho, Rytis Martikonis, Eleni Mavrou, Neil McCormick, Inigo Mendez de Vigo, Jürgen Meyer, Louis Michel, Juraj Migas, Marie Nagy, Jozef Oleksy, David O'Sullivan, Elena Paciotti, Ana Palacio, Alojz Peterle, Danny Pieters, Paolo Ponzano, Hildegard Puwak, Reinhard Rack, Dimitrij Rupel, Jaques Santer, Nicolas Schmit, Wolfgang Senff, Adrian Severin, Valdo Spini, Jozef Szajer, István Szent-Iványi, Erwin Teufel, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Frans Timmermans, Janusz Trzcinski, Gerhard Tusek, René van der Linden, Anne van Lancker, Evripidis Stylianidis, Pál Vastagh, Johannes Voggenhuber, Renée Wagner, Edmund Wittbrodt, Joachim Wuermeling, Marietta Yannakou-Koutsikou