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The commitment was clear and explicit: that of arriving at the summer summit with a shared text that could be accepted as the future European Constitution. The heads of state and of government, meeting in Brussels on 25-26 March 2004, had shown their willingness to accelerate the negotiations to finalise the draft Constitution that had emerged from the Convention so as to reach the agreement eluded the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) in December 2003. In recent weeks discussions have been stepped up, conducted by the Foreign Ministers of the 25 in the bid to reach a deal. But time is running out: the European Council in Brussels on 17-18 June, following the elections for the renewal of the Parliament in Strasbourg, is fast approaching. “CHRISTIAN ROOTS” IN THE PREAMBLE, Cowen REFUSES TO GIVE UP. EU Foreign Ministers met twice in May, under the chairmanship of the current Irish Presidency of the Council: on Monday 24 May favourable comments emerged from the meeting, though some problems still remain to be solved: they include the vexed question of majority vote (on which the Constitution had foundered in December, under the Italian Presidency), the number of MEPs per country, and the text of the preamble, in which eight countries, including Italy and Poland, are asking for the insertion of a reference to the Christian roots of the continent. In this regard BRIAN COWEN, Ireland’s Foreign Minister, declared: “We have asked the member states whether it’s possible to add a reference to the fact that the values of the Christian tradition form part of our culture and our heritage. The intention is not to undermine the principle of the secular State, close to the hearts of all our countries; we want a preamble with which everyone can identify”. A similar position has been expressed by ELMAR BROK, German MEP who is monitoring the negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament: “It’s a historical fact and no one has ever thought that the reference to Christianity could injure anyone”. FAVOURABLE VIEWS BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE UNION. On this point the pressure being exerted by civil society and the world of culture is being stepped up: numerous pronouncements have been made by religious communities in the 25 countries of the EU. Support for a reference to the Christian roots has even come from outside the Union: the Patriarch of Moscow ALEXIS II, highest Russian Orthodox authority, meeting the President of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies PIER FERDINANDO CASINI last week, stressed the importance of the recognition “of the common religious heritage of the old continent”. Casini declared: “The Patriarch made an explicit reference to this question and shares the position of those governments that have asked for a recall of the Christian identity in the European Constitution”. On the discussions within the Council on 24 May, Cowen added: “We have had a positive meeting and I have the impression we are making great progress”. With regard to the voting system (quorum to be reaching in the Council to take a decision in those fields in which unanimity is not required), he said: “All of us want a more efficient and effective decision-making process, but there are some aspects we are still examining”. Of the various proposals that are emerging, that of dual majority: 50% of States, 60% of the population, would seem to command most support. According to another MEP present at the negotiations, the German KLAUS HAENSCH, “a majority of two thirds of the population [another proposal canvassed] would make decisions more difficult to reach”. “Magna Charta”: optimists and pessimists. Haensch touched on another problem on the agenda at the meeting of foreign ministers: the possibility of proceeding, after the signature of the Constitutional Treaty, to ratification by referendum. It would be a positive choice in terms of the involvement of citizens, but also risky if the majority of the electors of a country were to decide to give the thumbs down to the Constitution: “It will be up to the individual countries, at the time of calling a referendum – stressed Hansch to explain that it’s a question of deciding whether we want to remain in Europe or not”. Less optimistic seemed the Polish Foreign Minister WLODZIMIERZ CIMOSZEWICZ, who remains alone to defend the decision-making system established at Nice, after Spain’s change of policy: “The chances of reaching a compromise speedily on the European Constitution are rather low, but depend on the initiative of the Presidency. On the other hand Cimoszewicz remarked Ireland seems very determined to reach a compromise acceptable to everyone”. Without entering into the merits of the discussion in Brussels, German Foreign Minister JOSCHKA FISCHER does not entirely discount the hope of reaching an agreement within the six months’ Irish Presidency of the Union. The Foreign Ministers he said are acting with this prospect in mind”. His words are echoed by the outgoing President of the European Parliament, PAT COX: “An agreement is needed by June, but cut-price compromises need to be avoided”.
