Summary: July 21, 2004: Romano Prodi, President of the European Commission. The Irish Presidency's achievements. Irish Presidency's report on the European Council of 17 and 18 July 2004, at the European Parliament (Strasbourg)
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President, Taoiseach, Honourable Members,
It gives me great pleasure to see Parliament's new President now properly in harness today.
It is also a pleasure to see the newly elected Members from all our Member States gathered here in the Parliament of our enlarged Union.
The new Europe is taking shape before our eyes in this House. It is an immensely moving and exciting development.
This larger, more diverse Union of ours now needs to be able to take decisions and act. And that brings me to what the Taoiseach has just told us about the achievements of the Irish Presidency and in particular the results of the European Council.
I congratulate the Irish Presidency on their skilful diplomacy, their political discernment and their steadfast dedication to the European cause.
* * *
First and foremost, the Irish Presidency has wound up the Intergovernmental Conference and forged an agreement on a Constitution for Europe.
As the saying goes, defeat is an orphan, but victory has a thousand fathers. And indeed many -- particularly in this House -- have worked hard to make the Constitution a reality.
But we all know that the last lap is the most difficult. The Irish Presidency has guided the IGC into safe waters, respecting the positions of all parties and paying careful attention to detail.
It has put forward innovative solutions whilst maintaining the overall balance. It has persuaded all sides that the draft is ambitious but also represents a realistic compromise. In other words, the draft Constitution before us is the best compromise possible.
And let us not underestimate the impact of the Taoiseach's personal involvement in overcoming opposition on the most sensitive issues.
As we look back over the last five years, we see amazing developments. When I first spoke before the House only five years ago, on 5 May 1999, the Treaty of Amsterdam had just come into force. At that time, nobody dreamed that a Constitution was possible. And yet, the need for a Constitution strikes us all as obvious today.
The reason is simple: the Constitution will allow the enlarged Union to work more effectively in the interest of its peoples.
The Constitution strengthens democracy, transparency and accountability in the Union. It lays down the Union's values and principles and provides a comprehensive legal basis for its policies.
In particular it incorporates the Charter of Fundamental Rights and states how qualified-majority decisions are to be taken by the Council -- by a double majority of States and peoples.
No one claims the Constitution is perfect. The Commission, for one, would have liked stronger Union powers in some areas, such as economic governance.
In this connection I welcome the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice. It provides legal clarity on some provisions of the Treaty and the Stability and Growth Pact.
Unanimity is still required for decisions on taxation, own resources and the Financial Perspective, and partially for social policy and the common foreign and security policy.
But the Constitution is clearly a major step forward along the road to European integration. In the next while, the process of ratification will focus attention.
Many countries have opted for referendums. But whether the decision is taken by referendum or by a vote in parliament, this time is crucial.
In the next few months we need to explain to people what the Union really is -- and what it is not -- and why we need a Union that works properly.
We need to foster a serious, in-depth debate about the Constitution and what it means for Europe.
We need to make sure the answer in any referendum or parliamentary vote is not a knee-jerk reaction to the situation in individual Member States, but a properly thought-out response to the real issue.
And that real issue, Honourable Members, is Europe. Because rejecting the Constitution would in practice mean a huge setback for the European integration process.
My worry is that national concerns might mask the real issues, and short-term partisan advantages may outweigh the long-term benefit of a Constitution for our Union.
This means the right arguments need to be put forward in the national debates.
I would like to take this opportunity to give my views on a criticism voiced lately -- namely, that the Constitution would means a step backwards for "Social Europe".
This is simply not true. Here are the facts: the Constitution largely preserves the status quo in terms of the Union's common policies, except as regards external policy and action in the area of freedom, security and justice.
In truth the Constitution creates a framework for the institutions to use for the benefit of all.
This is true of the internal market provisions, and it is true of the provisions on social policy.
But it is also true that it brings some improvements:
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