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Top EU Commission official should not be speaking at tomorrow's meeting of National Forum on Europe
 international |
eu |
opinion/analysis
 Wednesday April 06, 2005 20:34 by Anthony Coughlan via an IMCer
. 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
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Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4Dear Mr. Coughlan,
So your idea is that only "euro sceptics" should be allowed to speak at the forum?
Dear Bengt O. Karlson
Anthony Coughlan was quite clear that legally the EU Commission has no place in the debate.
Unless you are suggesting that everyone but the Commission are EUsceptics then your comment is senseless, If you are suggesting that then surely the Commssion can make no claim to any mandate whatever.
Dear Mr. Adams,
The other keynote speaker is labeled as "is a well-known Czech EU-critic ". So, only he would be allowed to speak according to Mr. Coughlan.
Of course, it is alway more convenient if all participants in a debate agree with you. Unfortunately, this is not always the case, at least not on this side of the Chanell.
Dear Bengt O. Karlsson,
Please excuse my lack of title for you, I must confess to an appalling lack of knowledge regarding the gender of you name.
This only confirms my contention that this is a matter for the individual member states to decide, not for the institutions of the EU, in my opinion Mr Jan Zahradil as he is an MEP should not be a speaker either.
Your national debate is about, you as a sovereign nation, wishing to accept the EU Constitution and wishing to pass those powers and your sovereignty to the EU, that the Constitution requires. It therefore seems to me that for both of the speakers to be part of the institutions of the EU which is in fact not a contributor of, but is the recipient of, those powers, will lead to a one sided, or at least partial debate.
I am absolutely certain that you do have extremely well qualified speakers on both sides of the question who could argue the case for and against the constitution from the point of view of your own country. It is quite simply a matter for concern for your people and your people only in this instance, it is up to you to decide your future, it is not up to the EU institutions enter into this debate. The EU has in effect already set out its stall in the constitution, now we all must decide ourselves if we wish to participate, preferably without a chorus of stall holders of bawling from the sidelines.