WRITTEN QUESTION E-0061/02 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Internal constitutional political entities and the Laeken Declaration.
Date: 2002-01-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Council of the European Union, Presidency of the Council of the EU, Spain, conflict of powers, political power, political representation, relations between the State and the regions

C 205 E/64

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

29.8.2002

(2002/C 205 E/069)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0061/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(25 January 2002)

Subject: Internal constitutional political entities and the Laeken Declaration

The Spanish Head of Government and the Foreign Minister, when taking over the presidency of the
Council, repeatedly denied the right of the autonomous regions of the Spanish State to be present at
Council meetings when issues under their political competence are being discussed.

Spanish government leaders consider that because, according to the Spanish Constitution, sovereignty in
international relations belongs to the State, it is impossible for a minister of an autonomous region to
represent the State in the Council, even if accompanying a central government minister.

Since the Laeken Declaration recognises that internal constitutional entities and their political competences
(in States where they exist) must be considered in the reform and constitutionalisation of the Treaties - it
being moreover evident that in countries such as Germany, Belgium, Austria or the United Kingdom
internal constitutional entities (Länder, constitutional regions,
federal states, regions, etc.) are, where
relevant, present at Council meetings - what difference can there be between the constitutions of these
countries and the Spanish Constitution to justify the discrimination against the Spanish autonomous
regions advocated by the Spanish Head of Government?

Why does the Spanish Head of Government take this attitude at the very time when Spain is taking over
the presidency of the Council and work is beginning on the Convention which is to implement the Laeken
Declaration?

Reply

(13 May 2002)

Article 203 of the Treaty establishing the European Community states that the Council shall consist of a
representative of each Member State at ministerial level, authorised to commit the government of that
Member State. Subject to this provision it is for each Member State to decide how it is represented.

The Council does not therefore have a view on this issue, nor would it be appropriate for it to do so.
Equally, it would not be appropriate for the Presidency to comment on matters which fall within the
competence of the Spanish government.

(2002/C 205 E/070)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0063/02

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(25 January 2002)

Subject: The Spanish presidency and the working languages of the EU

The entry of new countries into the EU, the official languages of which will be recognised on an equal
footing with the current ones in the Union of fifteen countries, may accentuate the trend whereby,
although the languages of all the Member States are recognised, some of them acquire the status of
preferred working languages, as is currently the case for French and English.

Certain countries want their language to have the same recognition as English or French, the argument
being based on the number of people speaking that language in the EU. However, in the EU there are
languages, such as Spanish or Portuguese - Galician, one of the languages of the Spain, belongs to the
same family - spoken by hundreds of millions of people on four continents, and therefore of a universal
nature, which must be taken into account in settling this debate.