EU Constitution: EU Parliament calls for clear roadmap on reforms in constitutional process

By backing by large majority the report by Enrique BARÓN CRESPO (PES, ES) and Elmar BROK (EPP-ED, DE), MEPs call on the June European Council to shortly convene an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to reach a settlement on institutional reforms - and they ask for Parliament to be fully involved in its work. According to the adopted text, the EP "will reject any outcome of the negotiations which, if compared to the Constitutional Treaty, would lead to a diminution of the protection of the rights of citizens (...) as well as to less democracy, transparency and efficiency in the functioning of the Union". In order to help reach a positive outcome, Parliament will maintain close contacts with national parliaments, as well as with the Committee of Regions and the Economic and Social Committee, throughout the whole IGC.

The House calls for the preservation of the basic principles of Part I of the Constitutional Treaty in the future agreement on the institutional reforms. The Charter of Fundamental Rights, whose inclusion in the new treaty is still being debated by governments, is one of the reforms the EP deems indispensable. In addition, the report lists the recognition of the Union's values, the clarification of respective competences at national and EU level, the respect of subsidiarity and an increased involvement of citizens in the EU's political life among the crucial achievements of the draft Constitution to be upheld.

MEPs say that the outcome of the IGC must take into account all questions raised during the period of reflection on the future of Europe. Particularly, they ask Member States to agree a common approach in the fields of climate change, energy security, migration policy, the fight against terrorism, enlargement, the European social model and the economic governance of the Euro-zone.

To facilitate the approval of the new agreement on the institutional reforms, MEPs also propose to Member States to coordinate their ratification procedures to approve the new text simultaneously by the end of 2008.

The approved resolution is Parliament's contribution to the June European Council, to be held on 21 and 22 June, dedicated to the institutional reforms.

| Haut |

• "The Future of Europe"- Speech by EU Commission President Barroso (12/6/2007)
• EU Parliament debates crucial summit on EU's future (7/6/2007)
• "A road map for the EU constitutional process" - Speech by EU Commissioner Wallström (6/6/2007)
• "The European Union in the next ten years" - Speech by EU Commissioner Orban (4/5/2007)
• Future of Europe/European integration: Citizens' Forums: what people are saying in 2007 (18/4/2007)
• European Union: Declaration on the Occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the Signature of the Treaties of Rome, Berlin (25/3/2007)