Havel says EU parliament should have 'greater powers'

Former Czech president Vaclav Havel has told MEPs that the assembly should have "somewhat greater powers" than at present.

He told plenary that the increased powers the institution will eventually enjoy under the recently-ratified Lisbon treaty were justified "as it is the only body directly elected by all Europeans".

Under Lisbon, the parliament will be given enhanced co-legislative powers with member states in a number of areas, including budgetary matters.

The ex-dissident leader also proposed the establishment of another body "where each member state would be equal" and would meet only rarely.

Havel was addressing deputies at the start of the two-day mini plenary in Brussels.

Much of the day's events surrounded commemorations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall and Havel admitted that "no-one" was prepared "for such a rapid collapse" of the Iron Curtain.

The west, he said, "went about things in the right way" whereas "another approach could have given rise to nationalists and populists".

He used his speech to lay out his vision for Europe, describing the continent as the "homeland of our homelands".

"What should the relationship be between national and European sovereignty?" he said. "The answer is clear - the two should complement each other."

Parliament's president Jerzy Buzek described Havel as a "wonderful human being" who remained a "hero" to those who helped bring about the downfall of Communism.

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