Mr President, Mr Prodi, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, one very important point for the European Council in Thessaloniki: bring Europe out of the closed back rooms of governments and give it back to its citizens. Mr Giscard d'Estaing will soon be presenting the European Convention proposal for a European Constitution. The Convention has achieved much over the past 15 months: agreement has been reached on a single European Constitution and ambitious proposals have been tabled in the area of simplification and the guaranteeing of fundamental rights. With the finishing line in sight, however, intense discussions have now broken out about the details of the institutional framework. Yes or no to a permanent President of the Council, yes or no to a European Commissioner for each Member State, yes or no to a Congress of Peoples. These institutional questions are all very important, but in my view must really only come into play when we have reached agreement on the content of European policy areas. Europe must become important for its citizens. It must also ask these citizens for an effective policy in the area of foreign affairs, a policy in respect of social issues such as pensions, employment an economic policy, a security policy, a policy in the important area of asylum and migration and, let us not forget, an environmentally friendly and fair agriculture policy. In all these areas we must move away from paralysing vetoes and towards truly effective decision-making. Europe, that means making a policy for European citizens so that we can create an area of security, solidarity and prosperity for all. Europe is about content and not about window dressing. Institutional questions are very important, but first we must give Europe back to its citizens. Only when we are sure that where European policy is needed it can also be effectively structured can we start the debate about the architecture. It has to be simpler, more understandable, more effective and closer to the citizen – more democratic in other words. That means a President of the Commission elected by the European Parliament and a troika presidency of the European Council that guarantees both continuity and the involvement of individual countries. I call on both the European Convention and those government leaders who will shortly be attending the IGC to persevere and to opt for an effective and democratic, that is communal, Europe. It is precisely in areas such as migration and asylum policy that we have seen the lack of results when policy is made by way of intergovernmental back rooms. So, Mr President, make the policy communal, excluding the right of initiative for the European Commission and with decisions taken by both the Council, by qualified majority, and by Parliament. Start by ensuring in particular that the content is in order and then provide for an adequate democratic structure through a debate about the institutions. Only in this way can a credible Europe be created for its citizens. Give Europe back to its citizens by allowing them to express an opinion on the European constitution through a referendum. That will force the political parties and the public at large into an active and political debate about Europe. I call on my Dutch colleagues in the CDA and the VVD to support this idea and to distance themselves from Dutch back room politics. The European citizen deserves better, Mr President.

Political group: PSE