Madam President, I should like to begin by thanking the Belgian Presidency and the Belgian Prime Minister for the degree of cooperation with the European Parliament. While I have not checked the record, from my own memory I believe Prime Minister that you may have been here on the floor of this House more often than any of your predecessors in any previous Presidency. That is a measure of the personal commitment which you have brought to dialogue with this House and democratic issues in Europe. I salute and thank you for that. There has also been a very dramatic change in the mood of this House between now and twelve months ago. Twelve months ago we all approached the Nice event as an important and defining moment and we felt disappointed when it produced something which resulted in more complexity rather than less, was more incomprehensible to the public rather than less, and seemed to reflect more a sense of deal-making than a sense of ideals behind the European process. At the end of this Presidency a balance has been restored and we should acknowledge that. There has been an extraordinary change in mood. The mood now is more upbeat and much of the thanks should go to you, Prime Minister Verhofstadt, and your colleagues in the Presidency. One cannot of course confuse mood and substance and so we must now exploit that dynamic for the future through the Laeken Declaration and through the Convention. The Laeken Declaration is indeed a defining moment for the Union and will be a durable measure of the quality of this Belgian Presidency. The Convention method is a defining method. Indeed, so many are so pleased with it that, like all successes, it now has many fathers and we all claim our share. But so be it. It is in the nature of success that we should all wish to celebrate it. With regard to the Convention, we look forward to its inauguration in March 2002 and we take note positively of the Presidency of the Convention in the persons of Mr Giscard d’Estaing and Mr Amato and Mr Dehaene and those others who will join them. We have to ensure that this Convention, through its Bureau, works in a single and coherent way. It is a vehicle for Europe, for neither more nor less. I want to say to my good friend, Hans-Gert Poettering, that about 10 years ago the former President of the was looking for political asylum in this House and I want to thank my colleagues in the , even before Tampere and the development of justice and home affairs, for offering asylum to that man. (Laughter) He is a very capable European and I am sure in his hands that the Convention can make progress. It is wonderful to feel, as the Prime Minister has already remarked, that there are no taboos. At least with some of the concepts we have crossed an important bridge. The willingness to contemplate a constitution for Europe, is necessary not just for reasons of simplicity but for reasons of stating and re-stating ideals, contemporary values, citizens’ rights, institutional balances, and creating the proper checks and balances. We need this and I am glad that you found the courage and a consensus to build on. September 11 was an extraordinary moment in your Presidency, a difficult challenge in terms of our common vulnerability and a recognition that non-Europe, or indeed transatlantic unilateralism, could not work. It has been a tremendous success for all the institutions, led by the Belgian Presidency and the European Commission and with the willing contribution of this House, that we seized that moment and that we have understood that our common vulnerability can only be answered by common response. All in all this is a Presidency worthy of the challenge of contemporary Europe and it is a Presidency, Mr Verhofstadt, which you and your colleagues can take great pride in. We, as your Liberal Democrat colleagues in this House, also feel a great pride in your achievement. We wish there were more people like you running states in Europe today. (Applause)

Political group: ELDR