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EUCDW, 27.03.2002

The Convention must Critically Monitor the
Intergovernmental Conference.

EUCDW demands that the Convention should be represented at talks on the constitutional treaty

In view of the procedure and results of European Council conferences, particularly the most recent one, the European Union of Christian Democratic Workers (EUCDW) demands that the following two steps should be taken:

1) The Convention on the Future of Europe must be represented at the intergovernmental conference which discusses the constitutional treaty.

2) The Convention must monitor the discussions of the intergovernmental conference; after the intergovernmental conference has finished the Convention must have the right to check and evaluate the results.

The intergovernmental conference as an instrument has reached its limits as far as the elaboration of new structures for the European Union is concerned. The most recent European Council conferences have also shown that the Council can no longer give any significant impulses towards coping with challenges which, with regard to competitiveness and employment, affect the whole of Europe.
In view of this the Convention on the Future of the European Union assumes an extremely important position. It is composed not only of representatives of the Member State governments and of the Commission, all of whom are anxious to protect their competences, but above all also of representatives of the citizens: members of the European Parliament and of the EU Member State parliaments.
The EPP (European People's Party) has made the Political Union one of its central causes. This means: more transparency, more democracy (which corresponds to more competences for the European Parliament), listening more carefully to citizens' concerns (which corresponds to strengthening Social Europe).

With this in mind it is only logical that the Convention on the Future of Europe should not meet separately from today's decision-making institutions. It must be present when the representatives of the Member States discuss and pass the constitutional treaty next year.

And it must have the right to monitor these discussions. The Council's resolution on the constitutional treaty must be presented and explained to the Convention. Only in this way can it be guaranteed that the future of the EU is shaped by treaty of the citizens. And it would also be guaranteed that the clock would not be put back regarding European social and employment policy.

The European Union of Christian Democratic Workers (EUCDW) consists of 23 workers' organisations from 15 countries and is an association of the European People's Party (EPP).

responsible: Luc Delanghe, President.

EUCDW
European Union of Christian Democratic Workers
c/o EPP, Rue du Commerce / Handelsstraat 10
B-1000 Brussels

E-mail: EUCDW

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