Commenting today on the draft Constitution, Monica Frassoni, Co-President of the Green/EFA group in the European parliament, said:
"We are at a crossroads. The Convention has to decide whether
the new Constitution will be a step forward for European democracy or not. Today the members of the Convention
must resolutely overcome pressure from the eurosceptics."
"We still have a chance
to get a good result - not on the basis of what the powerful eurosceptic minority led by the British government
wants - but on the basis of what the large majority of the Convention members have indicated in the last months.
The Convention should not let itself be blackmailed by forces who apparently have no interest in its success.
Members who do not want to achieve progress should be moved to the sidelines of the discussion and not allowed
to block the Convention's work."
"But to get a good result the Convention must be
able to finish the job. We completely reject the idea that alternative options should be presented in case the
Convention does not have the time to solve all of the open questions. The members should not let the European
Council in Thessaloniki turn the lights off on them if they want more time."
"The
biggest danger is that the Convention degenerates into an Inter-Governmental Conference in disguise, merely
executing the will of EU governments and reproducing their divisions and their priorities."
"The Praesidium deliberately failed in its mission to consolidate consensus around key issues in the final
months of the Convention, leaving so much important work to the last minute and giving the impression that
members are divided on everything."
"This is not true. We know that the opinion of
the large majority of the members of the Convention has simply been ignored on issues such as: the refusal of
creating a president of the Council; on the People's congress; on parliamentary control in all policy fields of
the EU; on access to justice in cases of violation of the Charter of fundamental rights; and on the abolition of
veto power in foreign and security policy."