National centre-right parties to reinforce cooperation with EU 

"How many referenda do we need to lose to be aware of the abysmal gap which exists between the European project and the citizens?," exclaimed Jean-François Copé, the president of the centre-right French political party UMP, at the club's press launch, attended by some 20 European parliamentarians. 

"We do not know how to build a Europe of solutions," he said, explaining the importance of creating the club. The president of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, Wilfried Martensp added: "We need to develop cooperation between national parliaments." 

"Each time directives or regulations start being evoked in Brussels, national deputies should take a public stance," Copé stressed. The idea is to prevent sensitive issues - such as GMO regulations or the Services Directive, which triggered the French 'no' to the EU Constitution - from exploding into the national public debate and surprising parliamentarians. This is currently the case most of the time, he said. 

Since the start of discussions on a European Constitution and the subsequent Lisbon Treaty, the Commission has taken the initiative by consulting national parliamentarians when reflecting on new directives. However, national parliaments are still a long way from being involved in all discussions, Copé pointed out.

If the Lisbon Treaty is approved, the role of national parliaments would be further strengthened as they would have the right to raise objections to Commission proposals via the so-called "yellow and orange card" procedure (EurActiv 09/05/08). 

Ahead of this, the objective of the club is thus to strengthen cooperation and improve coordination among national parliaments so as to be able to make use of the procedure. 

The EPP-ED Group and the 'Club of the 27' will therefore discuss texts currently tackled at EU level in order to "think all together about solutions". 

Copé made it clear that "it was up to each member state to decide" which political groups would take part in this new structure. Indeed, among the 27 member states, not all national centre-right political parties are Europhile. 

It is also hoped this initiative will bring Europe closer to its citizens as the European elections approach. "Strong participation will depend on national deputies and senators," claimed Pierre Lequilier, president of EU's delegation to the French national assembly.