I have just voted in favour of the resolution of the European Parliament on the Nice Summit. What the Heads of State and Government delivered at the weekend is totally inadequate. Neither the 'significant added value' nor the 'route map to enlargement' for which Romano Prodi had hoped were achieved. On the contrary, the people of Europe and their Parliament have experienced a 'regression from Amsterdam'. These Council decisions, cobbled together in late-night sessions, do not constitute solid foundations; they are riddled with holes large enough for concepts such as transparency, the creation of a European identity, more democracy, popular participation and reformism to slip right through. The information currently at our disposal suggests that there were some successes, such as intensified cooperation, the party statute and the declaration of intent on eastward enlargement, but the compromises that materialised were mostly minimal. As at a Christmas market, Member States set out their stalls on which various national interests were displayed with price tags attached. Moves towards greater convergence were blatantly obstructed. I was bitterly disappointed by the French Presidency of the Council before and during the negotiations. The prompting from the chair was half-hearted; the active contribution of the presidency consisted in proposing a deluge of compromises with only one thing in common, namely their inability to attract majority support. This was domestic politicking for the sake of a forthcoming election. The engine of European unification was left idling in this very country which, for all its specific national interests, has invariably acted as a grande nation in the service of the European ideal. The amitié franco-allemande [friendship between France and Germany] has always been the linchpin of the European Union. It is sorely missed today. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who is noted in Germany for his brusque manner, for bringing discussions to an abrupt halt with the word Basta! ('Enough!'), a graceless and uninterested player on the European stage, omitted to consult his neighbours from the Seine in good time. Instead, he trumpeted his intentions through his favourite mouthpiece, the media. The high public profile of his call for more German influence in the Council, in other words for more votes than France, which has over 20 million fewer inhabitants than Germany, totally devalued its substance, making it appear like a bargaining chip in a thinly veiled tactical manoeuvre. Unanimous decisions, and hence an inherent incapacity to act, remain largely the norm in the Council. Qualified majority voting has been extended to more than 30 additional provisions, but these provisions cover matters of minor significance. In the really important areas such as taxes, public levies, social policy, asylum and immigration, the old order has evidently survived. We are further than ever from generalised qualified majority voting in the Council, which would have led to codecision rights for the European Parliament. In the realm of structural policy, which accounts for three quarters of the total volume of the Community budget, Parliament is totally excluded from the legislative process! Decision making in the Council has become more complicated. A threefold majority must be achieved before decisions can be taken, and the required quotas of votes have been increased. Not a single iota of transparency in sight! I believe there is an urgent need to revise the system of Intergovernmental Conferences where the participants endeavour to hold each other in check and acclaim the assertion of petty national interests as great triumphs. These conferences should be replaced by a convention, similar to the one that was established to draw up the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Under the excellent chairmanship of Roman Herzog, the convention held open and constructive meetings, involving national and European parliamentarians; non-governmental organisations, business and labour organisations and interested individuals were not sidelined but actually felt involved and knew that their opinions were valued. All that remains for us now is to subject the details of the summit agreements to careful scrutiny over the coming weeks. In the post-Nice process, major changes must be achieved in the decisions as they now stand. The people of Europe deserve a substantially improved outcome.

Political group: PPE-DE