July-December 2006
In voting no to the EU Constitution, “the French rejected an abstract, pernickety, technocratic Europe which aims to regiment everything.” Jean-Louis Debré, President of the French National Assembly (Le Figaro, August 2006)
“The pre-condition for having a European defence policy, is to have more political integration. That is why I regret the fact that the European Constitution was rejected because it would have allowed us to move forward. We need a defence policy, but for that, we need to be willing for more political integration in Europe." - José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission (at a meeting of the French employers’ union MEDEF on August 30, 2006)
“…we need the Constitution – the sooner the better. The Constitution project must be resumed in the next year under the German council presidency.” ... And “The common European foreign and security policy will become ever more important in the 21st century.” - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (in his anniversary speech at the Heinz-Schwarzkopf-Stiftubg, in Berlin on August 30, 2006)
“I believe that a common foreign policy could be good for Europe and the world" "....but, for it to be serious, Europe must be stronger. Stronger too on the military level, and it should have its own credible military force, ..., “This is a problem to be resolved in the future; I can see that in a few years hence we will not have made much progress. But this perspective has to be put in place so that the European Union can become an equal partner with the United States and China … That is the European Union I am hoping for”. Polish Prime Minister Jaros?aw Kaczy?ski (Source: Agence Europe, 04 September 2006)
The EU Constitution is the “crowning in the process of enlargement of the Union, of the unification of Europe in democracy and peace." It "constitutes an extraordinary font of ideal, cultural and social richness, of historical representation, of force and dynamism." But at the same time he called for a continuation on the "road of political integration" and want Europe to speaks with "one voice". (...)
“We must not let the constitutional treaty fall aside, because a renewed will and political unity at the maximum level of member states are indispensable, as are institutional innovations planned by the treaty." Italian President Giorgio Napolitano at the of Academy of Science, Budapest (Source: 26. Septemer 2006, AGI online)
"It's a common failing, isn't it? People started to get enthusiastic about a grandiose project but it didn't come off.” And: "We have always felt that there is merit in looking at some of the details of the way in which you run the EU at a sheer practical level. It is a very different beast at 25 or 27 members than it was at 12 or 15." British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett on the EU Constitution (after the General Affairs and External Relations meeting in Luxembourg, 18 October 2006. Source: The Guardian)
Referring to the 22 November elections in the Netherlands, Dutch prime-minister Mr Balkenende said: "People want to be sure that we don't try and make a superstate out of Europe. People want to participate more in Europe. They want improved transparency, and they want to be good at areas which are of real importance, such as energy, security, environment and immigration."
"These are the points of departure in the discussion about the revision of the treaties." Dutch Prime-Minister Jan Peter Balkenende (Source EUObserver, 30 October 2006).
To the question: “Who’s waiting for the Constitution in Europe? Just the politicians?” Merkel's answer is: “Whether citizens have an essential need for the Constitution, I don’t know. I don’t know either whether every German has a need for the Basic Law every minute. But when one agrees on a platform of common rights and obligations, it is substantial.” - Angela Merkel wants that the “substance of the Constitution shall be kept up.” And she is convinced said: “Until the next European election we need results else this Europe is not functional anymore.” Chancelor Angela Merkel interviewed in the
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