Tag: IGC

With most disagreements on the draft 'Reform Treaty' ironed out, the Portuguese Presidency has decided to shift EU leaders' attention to a general debate on globalisation at an informal summit in Lisbon. Meanwhile, a new opinion poll shows citizens in the EU's five largest member states are in favour of holding a referendum on the new text.

The Portuguese Presidency and the Commission have shown optimism that an agreement can be found on the proposed Reform Treaty at a crucial summit in Lisbon next week. They were in Parliament yesterday to update MEPs on the issue as Poland remains the last stumbling block.

A draft version of the EU's new Reform Treaty was provisionally approved by legal experts yesterday (2 October), but some political issues, such as the Polish demand to add the 'Ioannina compromise' on voting rights, could resurface at an informal summit two weeks from now.

On a visit to Warsaw, Commission President José Manuel Barroso called on Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski to 'find technical solutions' to the EU's draft Reform Treaty, as Poland is again making Council voting rights a stumbling block in the negotiations, due to be finalised in October.

In this paper for the Robert Schuman Foundation, Thierry Chopin and Jean-François Jeannet explore the available options for distributing seats in the European Parliament, aiming to determine which best satisfies both democratic and diplomatic issues.

The UK opt-out on the charter of fundamental rights is among the issues in need of "further legal clarification", according to the three MEPs taking part in the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) after a meeting with Commission President José Manuel Barroso.

With formal discussions on a new EU 'Reform Treaty' launched this week, Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi says he is favourable to a two-speed Europe in order to prevent the less euro-enthusiast from setting the pace. He spoke to EurActiv Slovakia about his desire for a stronger Union.

Valery Giscard d’Estaing, the 'father' of the EU Constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, said the draft ‘Reform Treaty’ agreed at the June Summit only represented ‘cosmetic changes’ compared to the preivous version - in remarks that will comfort critics who argue that the new Treaty brings the Constitution in 'by the back door'.

The European Parliament is expected to give the go-ahead for the 'Reform Treaty' mandate, despite criticism concerning the large number of exemptions and footnotes in the draft text agreed by EU leaders at the June Summit.

Prime Minister Tony Blair believes that no referendum on the Constitutional Treaty would need to be held in the UK if, instead of attempting revive the original wide-ranging Treaty, the members states now simply agreed on a series of amendments, writes Brendan Donnelly of the Federal Union.

EU leaders signed the Constitutional Treaty in autumn 2004, but the ratification was stalled following the two negative votes on the text in France and the Netherlands in 2005. EU leaders are now seeking to agree to a new treaty on the basis of the constitutional provisions. This dossier outlines the key changes proposed by the Constitutional Treaty text to the current system based on the provisions of the Nice Treaty.

Aspiring president Laurent Fabius has warned he will call for a 'no' vote during the French referendum on the EU Constitution if Chirac and EU leaders do not agree on reforms to make Europe more social.

Jean-Pierre Chevènement, a former French minister and presidential candidate, has spoken out in favour of a 'no' vote in the French referendum on the EU Constitution.

Press reports widely predict that the Spanish referendum on the Constitution could take place in seven months.

President Jacques Chirac has announced that France will be holding a referendum on the Constitution in the second half of 2005.

A number of contributors examine the Constitutional Treaty in this Special Issue of the Federal Trust's EU Constitution Project Newsletter.

The prime ministers of Spain and Portugal announced on 23 June that they will put the EU's new Constitution to a popular vote.

The historic deal on the new Constitution left the issue of the next Commission President unresolved. The Irish PM now has another week to resolve the issue.

The new Treaty establishing a Constitution for the EU will introduce key changes to the functioning of the EU institutions. EurActiv provides an overview of the main points.

Ahead of the final working sessions of the IGC mandated to agree the EU's first Constitution, the Irish Presidency presented new proposals to break the deadlock on qualified majority voting.

Political scientists have warned that the biggest and smallest Member States would win if the Irish Presidency's current proposal on Council voting is accepted while medium-sized countries would lose out.

Tony Blair is expected to push for technical changes in the Charter of Fundamental Rights in order to protect UK industrial relations law.

The Council President and the German Chancellor say they hope a compromise will be found on the Constitution at the June summit. They are calling on all sides to be ready for compromise.

Poland will be represented by a provisional prime minister at the June European Council. His caretaker status will not become a legal obstacle to Poland's capacity to conclude a deal on the Consitution.