Brussels, 14 May 2003

Statement on the institutional architecture of the draft Constitution

On the eve of the debate in the European Convention on draft articles on Institutions*, FEDERALIST VOICE, network of 14 European organizations (see hereafter the list) in favour of a European Constitution, acknowledges that the new method of the Convention has already overcome many of the defects of the intergovernmental negotiations but nevertheless regrets that the draft of the Convention is still far from producing a federal Constitution to provide Europe with democratic foundations and the capacity to act efficiently, to face the challenges of enlargement and of the new world disorder;

FEDERALIST VOICE demands that the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights must be incorporated into the Constitution and not only set out in a second part of the Constitution or in a protocol annexed thereto and that the European citizens must have access to the Court of Justice on the ground of alleged violations of Charter rights;

FEDERALIST VOICE opposes the proposal that the European Council would be the institution choosing the President of the European Commission and that the European Parliament would be given just the possibility to accept or reject the choice of the Heads of States and governments so making impossible to create an explicit linkage between the results of the European elections and the choice of Commission President, and depriving the Union of a democratic and legitimate government;

FEDERALIST VOICE condemns the proposal to create a post of permanent chair of the European Council who might come into conflict with the President of the Commission and who would lack genuine legitimacy and accountability;

FEDERALIST VOICE welcomes the introduction of qualified majority voting in the Council and co-decision in the European Parliament in nearly all areas of Justice and Home Affairs but condemns the fact that the European Parliament is still deprived of the full powers of co-decision with the Council on crucial areas of legislation and parts of the budget;

FEDERALIST VOICE believes that in the interests of the efficiency the European Foreign Minister and Diplomatic Service should be fully integrated into the European Commission and that in the interests of democracy, the Foreign Minister should be nominated by the President of the Commission and ratified in office by European Parliament and Council;

FEDERALIST VOICE believes that the crisis in Iraq shows the urgent need for a European capacity for action; it demands that for non-military aspects of Foreign and Security Policy the executive power should lie with the Commission, decisions should by taken by qualified majority in the Council and an effective democratic control by the European Parliament must be guaranteed;

FEDERALIST VOICE believes that the provisions for subsequent amendments to the Constitution in the future should include a strong role for the European Parliament in their drafting and approval, e.g. by including the Convention method in the Constitution; the European network demands that the veto of a single member state or a small group of member states for future amendments to the constitution must be abolished;

FEDERALIST VOICE demands the completed and comprehensive text of the Constitution to be submitted to the European Convention to avoid any highjacking of its constitutional power by a diplomatic body.

Federalist Voice

Contact : Bruno Boissière, Tel.: +32-2.508 30 32

Participating Organisations:

European Association of Teachers
European Left
European League for Economic Cooperation
European Movement
European Young Socialists
Intergroup European Constitution within the European Parliament
International Federation of Europe Houses
Liberal and Radical Youth Movement of the EU
Permanent Forum of Civil Society
Promeuro
Réalités Européennes du Présent
Union of European Federalists
Union of Students of Europe
Young European Federalists