By Bruno Waterfield - 3rd December 2003
The European Parliament will campaign against a new EU constitution if its powers are attacked, MEPs are expected to declare on Thursday.
MEPs are set to back a resolution which will, it is hoped, lay down a marker for EU democracy in talks where parliament has no real voice.
A looming clash over the EU’s democratic legitimacy and the prospect of MEPs campaigning against a European constitution in fragile national referendums will, parliament sources indicate, ring alarm bells across Europe.
There is a dawning realisation in the corridors of the Brussels parliament that a powerful group of national governments is serious about cutting the current budget policing role enjoyed by MEPs.
Powers to sign off the EU’s annual budget have been the parliament’s most jealously guarded jewel for nearly 25 years and give Europe’s only directly elected institution real clout.
Constitution proposals backed by France, the Netherlands, Sweden and the UK would claw back budget control scrutiny putting EU purse strings firmly in the hands of national treasuries and chanceries.
Officials have confirmed that moves to neuter the parliament are expected to be officially tabled just days before EU leaders meet to seal a European constitutional treaty.
If a final package – due to be published just two or three days before a December 12 Brussels summit – contains the plans Europe will be on the brink of an all out war between EU institutions.
Some national officials dismiss an intervention by MEPs. “These are Inter-Governmental Conference talks, the European Parliament is not a government, it is not at the table,” said one.
But senior parliament figures are threatening to use their existing clout in the five years before a new treaty comes into force to trigger an EU inter-institutional crisis.
Amendments which originated with Europe's finance ministers were dropped by the Italian EU presidency but have been forcefully revived with the backing of a majority of Europe's governments.
Only “Belgium and some others” spoke up for the EU’s only directly elected institution, reveal sources close to the talks.
The parliament's two representatives at the constitution talks pledged to fight for their rights when the proposals resurfaced at last weekend’s Naples summit.
Centre-right MEP Elmar Brok warned that the battle is on if proposals make it to December's EU summit.
"It will be a question of war for us. This is the most important question surrounding the rights of the European Parliament," he said.
Brok predicted that if parliament was diminished the resulting “uproar would check the final result”.
His socialist colleague Klaus Hänsch vowed to keep up “active” resistance at Inter-Governmental Conference negotiations.
And if national governments roll back the parliament’s role, he predicted that MEPs would oppose a European constitution.
“If the treaty removes existing powers from the European Parliament and goes backwards we will oppose it,” he told EUpolitix.com.
British officials remain unapologetic about backing a weakened parliament.
“At the end of the day the cash comes from members states, they have to have control,” said a source.
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