Top EU Commission official should not be speaking at tomorrow's meeting of National Forum on Europe

Wednesday April 06, 2005 20:34

by Anthony Coughlan via an IMCer

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Dear Friends,

The Deputy Secretary-General of te EU Commission, Mr Guth, who will be speaking to the National Forum on Europe tomorrow in support of the proposed EU Constitution, should not be speaking at this event at all.

The European Commission is a highly interested party that would get a lot more extra power for itself if the EU Constitution were to be ratified and some 69 further national vetoes were to be abolished. The Commission would thereby get a big increase in its powers of legislative initiative under
the Constitution

Legally, the EU Commission and its servants have no role whatever in the ratification of EC/EU treaties in either European or national law. The ratification of European Treaties is exclusively a matter for the EU Member States as the "High Contracting Paties" that have negotiated and signed them.

The Commission obtains functions in relation to Treaties only AFTER they have ratified, but not before. Yet the Commission recently decided to spend 8 million euros in pushing the Yes side in the 10 EU Member States that are holding referendums.

If a top EU civil servant can get away with speaking in Ireland unchallenged, one can take it that it will be only a matter of time before
the Commission starts spending large amounts of money here in support of the pro-EU Constitution side. It is already doing this in other EU countries.

The political party and other interests that are members of the Forum and that care about basic democratic standards, should not let this development go unchallenged.

Mr Jan Zahradil MEP, former Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic and a leading member of Czech President Vaclav Klaus's ODC Party, is a well-known Czech EU-critic and is or has been a member of the SOS Democracy Group in the European Parliament.

Yours sincerely

Anthony Coughlan

National Forum on Europe FE/51

Agenda for the Fifty-First Plenary Session, to be held in St. Patrick's
Hall, Dublin Castle, on Thursday, 7 April, 2005, at 11.00 am

Theme: Getting to know the New EU Constitution: How can National
Parliaments have their say?

11.00 Opening Remarks by the Chairman of the Forum, Senator Maurice Hayes

11.03 Keynote remarks by Mr. Eckhart Guth, Deputy Secretary General of
the European Commission

11.18 Keynote remarks by Mr. Jan Zahradil, MEP, Czech Republic

11.33 Open Debate, with Questions and Comments from Members of the Forum
and of the Special Observer Pillar

12.40 Closing Remarks by Mr. Jan Zahradil and Mr. Eckhart Guth

13.00 Closing Remarks by Chairman of the Forum

13.03 Close of Session