Dear Europeans,

The IGC is entering a crucial period. More and more demands on opening the package and implementing changes are being made by the member states. As all negotiations are held behind close doors and no public debate on the IGC negotiations is foreseen, this would constitute a threat to the democratic face of the Constitution. One of the latest proposals by the European Finance Ministers is to take away the budgetary powers of the European Parliament. This would be totally unacceptable as budgetary power has traditionally been the core competence of Parliaments in democratic systems. Opening the compromise on presiding the sectoral Councils would result into a debate seen in Nice: old arguments no new solution. Due to these debates many leading EU politicians fear that the timetable (an indicative timetable is part of this bulletin) cannot be kept and therefore the Constitution is threatened to fail.

Dear Europeans,

We are happy finally to present to you a bulletin edition which includes the final Constitution, as proposed by the Convention. Last Friday, in a nice ceremony, the Convention finished its work on the most crucial element of the Constitution, Parts I and II. This special bulletin edition includes the last minute changes to the final text, a briefing on the Convention session as well as first comments from civil society.

“There was always the risk of failure. […]
But we have tried and succeeded in closing the gap between the rhetoric and reality of Union policy. We have drafted a treaty that places mandatory fundamental rights at the centre of the integration process. We have reinforced the capacity of the Union to act effectively abroad and inside the Union itself. We have strengthened parliamentary democracy both at national and the federal level. We have drafted a constitution that can and should be exploited pragmatically. […]
The literate and the humanate citizen will be in a strong position now to understand the running of the European Union and what the Union is for. One will no longer require an advanced degree in mechanical science to understand the decision making procedure of the Union. Things will be simpler, shorter, more rational and some more transparent.
The result […] clearly cannot be said to be perfect, but nobody will leave this afternoon crying. What we have frankly is the best that we could get. And our proposals must be treated with profound respect by the IGC that follows.”

[Andrew Duff MEP, Convention member from the European Parliament, Contribution in the final Convention session on Part I and II on Friday, 13 June 2003.]

The articles of Part I and Part II were finalized in last week’s Convention session. They will be handed over to the heads of state and government at the European Council in Thessaloniki this week.

The Convention website does not yet have a final text which includes all the last minute changes. A good overview can be seen by looking at three documents:

To see the nearly final version of the first and second part of the Constitution, click: http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/03/cv00/cv00797-re01en03.pdf.

To see all changes made to the preliminary final articles on the basis of the discussions in Thursday’s plenary session, see: http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/03/cv00/cv00811en03.pdf.

To see a minimum language correction done to the final articles, click: http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/03/cv00/cv00797-re01co01en03.pdf.

The articles of Part III and Part IV of the European Constitution will be finalized in the Convention sessions on 4 July and 10-11 July.

To see an older version of Part III, click: http://european-convention.eu.int/docs/Treaty/CV00725.EN03.pdf.

To see some changes done to the articles by the presidium on Wednesday, click: http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/03/cv00/cv00805en03.pdf.

A new version with further changes has been handed out to Convention members on Friday’s final session for Part I and Part II, but are not available on the Convention homepage yet. You will get these articles with the next bulletin.

Brussels – 13 June 2003

You have in front of you the last briefing of an ordinary Convention session. The result of the three day Convention meeting was A EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION. Or, to be more realistic, the result is the proposal from the Convention to the IGC concerning the text of Part I and II of the Constitution. As a result of the Convention plenary, and especially the component meetings, there have been a small number of quite decisive changes to the Constitution.

The work of the European Convention is now complete. The approach adopted by the Convention, which was advocated by both the Commission and the European Parliament, has proved its effectiveness, for the first time enabling the full range of European and national view points to be heard in a broad- cased, open and transparent debate. The Commission is convinced that there are compelling reasons for this approach to be adopted for all new constitutional changes.

The Commission would like to thank the Chairman of the European Convention, Mr Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, his Praesidium and all the members of the Convention for the enormous effort they have put in over fifteen months and for the results achieved.

Bruxelles le 13 juin 2003

PERVENCHE BERES / OLIVIER DUHAMEL / JACQUES FLOCH
SOCIALISTES FRANÇAIS A LA CONVENTION EUROPEENNE

"UN PROJET DE CONSTITUTION PORTEUR DE PROGRES"

La méthode de la Convention a montré qu'elle permettait de réaliser des avancées importantes, par comparaison avec la méthode traditionnelle des conférences intergouvernementales. On a donc un texte unique, sans options, qui fusionne les différents traités et les 3 piliers de l'Union européenne. L'Union y gagnera en transparence et en efficacité. L'Union se voit reconnaître la personnalité juridique. La Charte des droits fondamentaux a été intégrée ce qui annonce un statut contraignant pour les droits qui y sont consacrés.

June 13, 2003

Today, the European Convention will accept by consensus the European Constitution. The Young European Federalists (JEF) welcomes the results as an important step along the road towards a democratic and federal Europe. Due to many shortcomings of the Convention result there is still a long way to go before that goal is reached.

Brussels, 11 June 2003

1. The International European Movement (IEM) has examined the work so far accomplished by the European Convention. It emphasises that the work of the Convention is to produce a draft Constitution, which expresses the wishes and aspirations of the people of Europe and the means, needed to achieve them. It appeals to the members of the Convention to make one last effort to realise their ambition and innovation.

12 June 2003

For all the study of democracy around the world, it is not often that one gets a chance to watch it grow. The Convention has been a rare example of a democracy in development. It has proved how important a vision is in making democracy flourish.

That vision has been largely absent from the later proceedings of the Convention. In time, that is something that the citizens of Europe will regret. Some of us are regretting it already. We started out with hopes for a new future for the European Union. There was a demand for democracy and support for subsidiarity.

Friends of Europe is to hold the first Europe-wide debate on the Future of Europe late June when in partnership with leading think-tanks it is organising a week of seven high-profile videoconferences, each lasting two hours.

You can take part in any of these seven events either by directly participating at the debate of your choice or by viewing them live on the Internet on www.friendsofeurope.org.

This is the chance for Europe’s citizens to speak out in advance of the EU’s Intergovernmental Conference and influence its outcome. An opportunity, too, for political and business opinions in both large and small countries to expose views on the Convention’s proposals.

Some of our confirmed speakers:
· Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President, The Convention on the Future of Europe
· Pascal Lamy, European Commissioner for Trade
· Franz Fischler, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Fisheries
· Margot Wallström, European Commissioner for Environment
· Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Regional Policy and Intergovernmental Conference
· António Vitorino, European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs
· Patrick Cox, President of the European Parliament
· Jacques Delors, Former President, European Commission
· Danuta Hübner, Minister of European Affairs, Poland

To read the entire invitation, click: Download file

All 28 countries involved in the European Convention will link up over five days from June 23 in a series of seven video-conferences to explore grassroots reactions to the blueprint for a European Constitution which will just have been presented to the Thessaloniki European Council on June 20-21. This is the first event of its type to give Europe’s citizens a voice in the future shape of the EU and is organised by Friends of Europe in partnership with leading think-tanks in Brussels.

For more information on this project,to watch it live on the internet or to attend any of these 7 events at the bibliothèque Solvay, Brussels or in another country please consult www.friendsofeurope.org.