Act4Europe Press Release: Europe risks loosing the constitutional project

The Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) is entering the final stages of negotiating the new EU Constitution at the Conclave of Naples this week. The Laeken mandate clearly stipulated that bringing the EU closer to its citizens was one of the main goals for this Constitutional Project. Yet NGOs and civil society are becoming increasingly concerned about how governments are conducting the IGC. At the recent European Social Forum in Paris tens of thousand of young citizens voiced their hostility towards the Constitution.

After the relative transparency of the Convention, the IGC is reverting back to the same old days of trading national interest instead of promoting citizens’ rights. Civil dialogue is now worse than pre-Laeken, and the Italian Presidency refuses to meet with civil society and yet has managed to have meetings with the Catholic Church about the Constitution twice.

“At this rate, Heads of State and Governments risk loosing the whole constitutional project during ratification. Citizens and their elected Parliamentarians will not buy a Constitution that erodes the Convention draft, that is negotiated in secret and without listening to civil society or to the joint positions of MEPs and MPs represented in the Convention”, said Giampiero Alhadeff (SOLIDAR), Chair of the Civil Society Contact Group that brings together the four large NGO sector platforms (environment - Green 8, social - Social Platform, development - CONCORD, human rights - HR NGO network) and the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC).

“The Convention only just managed not to lose what we had previously achieved in terms of environmental policy. If the IGC now re-introduces Euratom into the Constitution, referenda and ratification processes that involve national Parliaments will most certainly be lost”, added John Hontelez (EEB), representative of the Green 8 in the Civil Society Contact Group.

And Mary McPhail (EWL), representative of the Social Platform, gives a clear warning: “The Convention was already abysmally unrepresentative in terms of diversity and the equal participation of women, but at least it was transparent. Now a Constitution is negotiated behind closed doors by an almost entirely male IGC, whose Presidency refuses to talk to any civil society organisation. It is time for them to get back to discussing how to achieve equality between women and men, fight poverty and discrimination, ensure the protection of the environment, the observance of human rights, and solidarity with people around the world. If they fail in that task, the citizens of Europe will have every reason to say no to this constitution.”

For more information on the joint demands of the largest civil society platform, please contact the office of the EU Civil Society Contact Group, Dr. Nicolas Beger, 0032-2-5111711, coordinator@act4europe.org

Dr. Nicolas Beger

Coordinator

Civil Society Contact Group and act4europe campaign

c/o Social Platform

Avenue des Arts 43

1040 Brussels

Tel: 0032-2-5111711