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Prodi: Commission's head should be EU president
ROMANO PRODI - president of the European Commission argues that dispersal of effort must be avoided, and therefore the EU should not have too many presidents. "On grounds of democracy and efficiency, the best solution could be for the EU and Commission presidents to be one and the same," he said. (Photo: EU Commission)
The president of the European Commission Romano Prodi pleads for the Commissions head to be the future president of the EU, rejecting the call by leading EU heads of state to elect an EU president at the head of the Council. In his contribution to a seminar on A constitution for the future of Europe in Milan, Mr Prodi said on Monday that an EU president chosen by the governments and voted on by Parliament or elected in some other way, with a five-year term of office," would be a good idea, provided the EU and Commission presidents were one and the same.
The Commissions president has fired in Milan his first shot in the battle between two visions of Europe, opposing leaders of the UK, France and Spain, in favour of an EU president at the head of the Council and more powers for the EU states, and leaders of small countries, backing a powerful Commission.
Mr Prodi argues that dispersal of effort must be avoided, and therefore the EU should not have too many presidents.
Constitutional Treaty necessary
The Commissions president also pleaded, in Milan, for a Constitutional Treaty to set out the EU's essential principles and tasks, the institutions in charge of carrying out these tasks, and the citizens' rights in terms of participation and freedoms. The Constitutional Treaty will, in Mr Prodis views, govern a Union of states and peoples. He advocates some arrangements to involve citizens in the ratification of the new Treaty, as at present people play no role in this process.
Present Union biased in favour of states
Mr Prodi notes that as things stand, the Union of states and peoples is totally biased in favour of states. To re-establish a balance, he said, the peoples must be given the chance to take part in the process of laying the EU's new foundations. Popular involvement is justified because this will bolster the legitimacy of the future constitutional text and, more generally, the Union based on it. This would set in motion a process that could ultimately lead to the recognition of EU sovereignty.
Supranational democracy does not mean superstate
The president of the Commission warns that a supranational European democracy cannot be built without an informed popular debate on the major issues and choices the EU is facing. He is adamant the Convention on EU future and the Intergovernmental Conference that will subsequently analyse the draft put forward by the Convention must lay the foundations of a genuine supranational democracy. He underlined that building a democratic EU does not mean building a superstate, it just means giving a new dimension to the concept of citizenship.
EU citizenship important for immigrants' integration
Mr Prodi claims EU citizenship can be a powerful factor in the social integration of legal immigrants into the European Union, as it could lessen the tension between laws on nationality and citizenship and immigration. On this subject, he condemned the fact that recently the issue of security has been increasingly linked to immigration.
The Commissions president proposes that the future constitutional Treaty, prepared by the Convention on EU future, be broken down into two sections: a constitutional section setting out the constitutional principles and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and a second section setting out the practical procedures, which can be more easily amended.
Speech Romano Prodi President of the European Commission « A constitution for the future of Europe »
Written by Daniela Spinant
Edited by Honor Mahony
ROMANO PRODI - president of the European Commission argues that dispersal of effort must be avoided, and therefore the EU should not have too many presidents. "On grounds of democracy and efficiency, the best solution could be for the EU and Commission presidents to be one and the same," he said. (Photo: EU Commission)
The president of the European Commission Romano Prodi pleads for the Commissions head to be the future president of the EU, rejecting the call by leading EU heads of state to elect an EU president at the head of the Council. In his contribution to a seminar on A constitution for the future of Europe in Milan, Mr Prodi said on Monday that an EU president chosen by the governments and voted on by Parliament or elected in some other way, with a five-year term of office," would be a good idea, provided the EU and Commission presidents were one and the same.
The Commissions president has fired in Milan his first shot in the battle between two visions of Europe, opposing leaders of the UK, France and Spain, in favour of an EU president at the head of the Council and more powers for the EU states, and leaders of small countries, backing a powerful Commission.
Mr Prodi argues that dispersal of effort must be avoided, and therefore the EU should not have too many presidents.
Constitutional Treaty necessary
The Commissions president also pleaded, in Milan, for a Constitutional Treaty to set out the EU's essential principles and tasks, the institutions in charge of carrying out these tasks, and the citizens' rights in terms of participation and freedoms. The Constitutional Treaty will, in Mr Prodis views, govern a Union of states and peoples. He advocates some arrangements to involve citizens in the ratification of the new Treaty, as at present people play no role in this process.
Present Union biased in favour of states
Mr Prodi notes that as things stand, the Union of states and peoples is totally biased in favour of states. To re-establish a balance, he said, the peoples must be given the chance to take part in the process of laying the EU's new foundations. Popular involvement is justified because this will bolster the legitimacy of the future constitutional text and, more generally, the Union based on it. This would set in motion a process that could ultimately lead to the recognition of EU sovereignty.
Supranational democracy does not mean superstate
The president of the Commission warns that a supranational European democracy cannot be built without an informed popular debate on the major issues and choices the EU is facing. He is adamant the Convention on EU future and the Intergovernmental Conference that will subsequently analyse the draft put forward by the Convention must lay the foundations of a genuine supranational democracy. He underlined that building a democratic EU does not mean building a superstate, it just means giving a new dimension to the concept of citizenship.
EU citizenship important for immigrants' integration
Mr Prodi claims EU citizenship can be a powerful factor in the social integration of legal immigrants into the European Union, as it could lessen the tension between laws on nationality and citizenship and immigration. On this subject, he condemned the fact that recently the issue of security has been increasingly linked to immigration.
The Commissions president proposes that the future constitutional Treaty, prepared by the Convention on EU future, be broken down into two sections: a constitutional section setting out the constitutional principles and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and a second section setting out the practical procedures, which can be more easily amended.
Speech Romano Prodi President of the European Commission « A constitution for the future of Europe »
Written by Daniela Spinant
Edited by Honor Mahony
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