Future constitutional options: ALDE opens debate on consequences of Europe à la carte

3.05.35pm GMT Thu 8th Feb 2007

"The question is no longer whether there will be a differentiated Europe but to understand the likely mechanisms of such differentiation," said Alexander Lambsdorff MEP (FDP, Germany) in outlining the basis for debate at yesterday's parliamentary hearing organised by the ALDE group on the institutional implications of a more open integration. "In the past we succeeded in developing widening and deepening in parallel," he added, "but this equilibrium was broken in 2004."

Graham Watson, ALDE group leader shares the view that "the moment has come to tackle the previously unthinkable institutional question whether a single speed Europe can be sustained in the process of European integration."

Vice-President Verheugen commented that an official hard core group of Member States could become an institutional nightmare but it is one option that we cannot ignore if integration within a Europe of 27 or more Member States is not to grind to a halt. He nevertheless insisted on preserving the integrity of the Internal Market.

Jean-Louis Bourlanges (UDF, France) observed that the EU's competences are quite modest and that "EU institutions are strong when it comes to sharing power but relatively weak in enforcing it." "The Constitution is neither the problem nor the solution as it does not fundamentally change the balance of powers and codifies the otherwise diverse set of procedures. It is necessary to make an inventory of the wide range of policies that can be developed outside the Treaty framework but still compatible with the EU. Tell me which policies you want to take forward and I will tell you the institutions that are necessary," he concluded.

For Andrew Duff (UK, Lib Dem) who defended the draft constitution: "We need a constitutional treaty, not least because the clauses on reinforced cooperation are better than in the Nice Treaty as they allow for the core group to modify the voting rules", he recalled whilst still expressing his concern over the impact of reinforced cooperation on the Parliament and Commission and other countries like the UK which are unlikely to be part of the hard core of Member States. He also reiterated his wish that the IGC, which will renegotiate the constitutional treaty, agrees to create a new category of associate membership to the EU and a clearer definition of neighbourhood policy.