Mr President, I am concerned about the ungodly practices of our governments, who have first concluded a deal with the European Parliament and the national parliaments – known as the positively rated draft Constitution – and then proceed to carry on as they please, with business as usual, and repeat the very practices that caused Nice to fail. Citizens stand to gain a great deal by this draft Constitution. The Constitution offers us more democracy and enables us to achieve more concrete results in areas that matter in Europe. Neither I, nor the citizen, lie awake at night thinking about the trifling details which everyone seems to get het up about. One vote more or less, every Member State having its own Commissioner – or even two for the big boys – or a puppet on a string at the helm of the European Council. These are not the core issues. I go along with the idea of each country having its own Commissioner. What matters is that Europe is able to catch criminals who completely ignore national borders, that we speak with one voice in foreign policy and that there are enough good jobs for everyone. The Heads of Government should finally stop whinging and accept that what we have seen come out of the Convention is – subject to a few minor practical changes – the best solution for all of us and for an enlarged and deepened Europe. They should not pretend that citizens consider their bickering about power and people as important. That is for the little boys who compare their brawn in the playground, but not for the citizens. The public want to see results, and we can obtain those results with the new Constitution. More rights for Parliament and more codecision in the fields of justice and home affairs, agriculture and budget. Many of my fellow-MEPs have already said that if the Finance Ministers get their own way, Parliament’s rights will revert back to what they were before 1975. That is wholly unacceptable. We would then cross a line which we would certainly advise against approaching. That will have an effect on all referendums here in Europe. We now have to act on behalf of our citizens as a matter of urgency. Accordingly, information is required in good time, otherwise the citizens will not be able to make their views known in the many referendums that will be held about the Constitution. Europe needs the Constitution, because on 1 May, ten new countries will be joining, and they should not join without any clear rules. Such an historic reunification should not founder because Heads of Government behave in a wholly unacceptable manner, throwing their weight around and refusing to accept an adult outcome. Summa summarum: either you agree to the present proposal as Heads of Government or you are opposed to it. But beware: less democracy and fewer rights for Parliament means that Parliament will be obstructive. The governments should not think that the deal can be thwarted only from their end. They should also realise that they cannot let things get that far. That would be a God-awful shame, irrespective of the fact whether God is incorporated in the Constitution or not! On St Nicholas Day, which is nearly upon us, we in the Netherlands always give presents to each other. The Heads of Government should also push out the boat this year, and give us a Constitution that is worthy of the European citizens.

Political group: PSE