By Martin Banks - 16th October 2007
Italy could pose the biggest threat to a deal on the controversial reform treaty, a senior MEP has argued.
UK ALDE deputy Andrew Duff says the “Italian problem” could yet prove the main obstacle to agreement when EU leaders meet in Lisbon on Thursday.
Under a new formula agreed at an EU summit in June, MEPs seats will in future be distributed on the basis of a country’s population.
Rome, however, is incensed that the number of seats allocated to its members in parliament will be cut from the current 78 to 72 after the 2009 European elections.
Speaking at a news conference in parliament on Wednesday, Duff, one of three MEP representatives on the inter-governmental conference (IGC), said he feared the issue could stall a deal in Lisbon.
“The Italians are requesting that parliament reconsiders the statistical basis for the distribution of seats. The problem with this is that there are 27 different definitions of national citizenship and 27 different definitions of franchises,” said Duff, a constitutional affairs expert.
“Italy has also argued that it should have parity with France and the UK on the number of MEP seats.
“Both these requests are impossible to contemplate, certainly before Friday when, hopefully, all this will be concluded.”
He added, “My fear is that this Italian problem will yet prove to be the single biggest obstacle to an agreement in Lisbon.
"It may need some creative thinking to overcome this problem."
Spanish Socialist Enrique Baron Crespo, who also sits on the IGC, said, “Italy is a valued member of the EU and one of its founders.
“But you cannot have any member blocking such important reform, particularly at such a late stage.”
Speaking at the same event, German centre-right MEP Elmar Brok, another IGC member, took a swipe at perceived efforts to water down British demands ahead of the crucial summit.
“This week, I have felt increasingly bitter and frustrated about the whole proceedings,” he said.
“The reason is that Britain has been pushed into an area on justice and home affairs (JHA) matters where it did not want to go.
“JHA is a very important issue and you simply cannot push member states on this.”
The former foreign affairs committe chairman will join Baron Crespo and Duff at the summit, along with parliament’s president,Hans-Gert Poettering.
The MEPs say that thanks to parliament’s input, “substantial” progress has been made, but some crucial points remain to be clarified, not least on the role of the Court of Justice.
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