FINI AND FRATTINI ON THE EU CONVENTION

UNCLAS ROME 006062 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV IT EUR EUN SUBJECT: FINI AND FRATTINI ON THE EU CONVENTION ¶1. SUMMARY: ITALIAN DEPUTY PM AND GOI REPRESENTATIVE TO THE EU CONVENTION GIANFRANCO FINI AND FM FRANCO FRATTINI TOLD PARLIAMENT THAT POSITIONS WITHIN THE EU CONVENTION ARE STILL DISTANT AND THE CONVENTION WILL PROBABLY TRANSMIT "DIVERGENT" PROPOSALS TO THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE (IGC). THEY STRESSED ITALY'S WISH TO SIGN A NEW EU TREATY DURING ITS PRESIDENCY IN THE SECOND HALF OF 2003, AND UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 ROME 06062 210009Z REMARKED THAT ITALY'S APPROACH IN THE IGC WILL BE "OPEN AND FLEXIBLE." FINI PROPOSED INSERTING A CLAUSE ON RELIGION IN THE FUTURE EU TREATY. END SUMMARY. ¶2. DEPUTY PM FINI AND FM FRATTINI APPEARED BEFORE A JOINT SESSION OF THE SENATE AND CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEES DECEMBER 17 TO TALK ABOUT PROGRESS ON THE EU CONVENTION. FINI ARGUED AT LENGTH ON THE NEED FOR A "CONSTITUTIONAL ARCHITECTURE" FOR EUROPE AND OF ITS IMPORTANCE WHEN THE EU ENLARGES TO 25 COUNTRIES. HE SAID, HOWEVER, THAT POSITIONS WITHIN THE CONVENTION ARE STILL DISTANT AND THAT IT WAS UNLIKELY TO REACH AGREEMENT ON THE CHAPTER ON INSTITUTIONAL REFORM IN THE CONVENTION'S DRAFT CONSTITUTIONAL TREATY. ¶3. THIS NOTWITHSTANDING, FINI SAID THE EU-15 AGREE THAT AN ENLARGED EU CAN CONTINUE TO FUNCTION BY KEEPING ITS CURRENT BALANCE OF POWERS, THAT IS, THE CURRENT "INSTITUTIONAL TRIANGLE" BETWEEN THE EU COUNCIL, THE EU COMMISSION, AND THE EU PARLIAMENT. HE ARGUED THAT REFORM MUST CONTINUE WHILE PRESERVING THE CURRENT "BALANCE AMONG FUNDAMENTAL POWERS." EUROPEAN PUBLIC OPINION, HE SAID, WANTS THE EU TO BE "SIMPLE, TRANSPARENT, AND EFFECTIVE." ¶4. FINI DID NOT OFFER MUCH DETAIL ON THE STATE OF PROGRESS IN THE CONVENTION. HE DID SAY THAT IN A 25-MEMBER EUROPE, THE CURRENT SIX-MONTH ROTATIONAL PRESIDENCY WILL NOT WORK AND THAT THE PREVAILING FEELING WITHIN THE CONVENTION IS TO ADOPT A ROTATIONAL PRESIDENCY OF "AT LEAST" TWO YEARS. THIS COULD BE COUNTER-BALANCED BY GIVING THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT A STRONGER ROLE: THE EU COUNCIL COULD NOMINATE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 ROME 06062 210009Z THE EU ROTATIONAL PRESIDENT AND THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT COULD "RATIFY AND SUPPORT" THAT DECISION BY MAJORITY VOTE. ¶5. FINI SAID THERE IS A "WIDE AND SATISFACTORY" CONVERGENCE OF POSITIONS ON SEVERAL POINTS, MANY OF WHICH HAVE THE GOI'S SUPPORT. AGAIN, HE DID NOT OFFER MUCH INFORMATION, LIMITING HIMSELF TO SAYING THESE POINTS INCLUDE INVESTING THE EU WITH "FULL LEGAL RESPONSIBILITY" AND ADOPTING THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY IN DISTRIBUTING POWERS AND AUTHORITY. ¶6. ON SUBSIDIARITY, FINI NOTED THAT THE EU WILL PROBABLY WANT TO GIVE NATIONAL PARLIAMENTS A "STRONG ROLE OF VERIFICATION," INCLUDING THE POWER TO APPEAL TO THE EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE IF THEY DETECT VIOLATIONS. HE ADDED THAT THERE IS "UNANIMOUS CONVERGENCE" AT THE CONVENTION ON NOT WEIGHING DOWN THE FUTURE EU CONSTITUTION WITH A "RIGID LIST OF POWERS," BUT MAKING IT INSTEAD "FLEXIBLE." ¶7. ON RELIGION, HE SAID A POSSIBILITY WOULD BE TO INCLUDE IN ARTICLE 34 ON THE PRINCIPLES OF PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY A SUB-ARTICLE REGARDING STRUCTURED DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE EU AND CHURCHES (UNION OF CHURCHES),LEAVING EACH MEMBER STATE FREE TO DEVELOP THE ISSUE AS IT DEEMS IT BEST FOR ITS OWN COUNTRY. DEBATE ON THIS POINT WAS STRONGER OUTSIDE THE CONVENTION THAN DURING ITS SESSIONS, HE COMMENTED. ¶8. FINI REMARKED THAT THE CONVENTION WILL INEVITABLY TRANSMIT TO THE INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE (IGC) A SERIES OF "DIVERGENT" OPTIONS. HE AND FRATTINI STRESSED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 ROME 06062 210009Z THAT ITALY WILL REMAIN "OPEN AND FLEXIBLE." THEY SAID IT WILL MAKE EVERY EFFORT (IT IS ITS "RIGHT" AND ITS "DUTY," FINI SAID) TO HOLD -- AND CONCLUDE -- THE IGC DURING ITS EU PRESIDENCY JULY-DECEMBER 2003, IN ORDER TO SIGN THE NEW EU TREATY IN ROME. IT IS A QUESTION OF "PRESTIGE" FOR ITALY - - THE TREATY CREATING THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY WAS SIGNED IN ROME IN 1957; THE TREATY CREATING THE NEW EUROPE OF 25 MUST BE SIGNED IN ROME IN 2003. THE NEW EUROPE WILL THEN BE READY TO FUNCTION WITH ITS TEN NEW MEMBERS THAT WILL JOIN IT IN MAY 2004 AND BEFORE THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN THE SUMMER OF 2004. ¶9. IN CONCLUSION, AFTER THANKING EU CONVENTION VICE PRESIDENT GIULIANO AMATO FOR HIS WIDELY RECOGNIZED AND "VERY VALUABLE" WORK, FINI AND FRATTINI SAID THEY WILL RETURN TO PARLIAMENT OFTEN TO KEEP IT INFORMED OF THE CONVENTION'S PROGRESS AND TO SEEK ITS SUPPORT OF THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT'S POSITIONS. SEMBLER UNCLASSIFIED > 2002ROME06062 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED