MEPs threaten to block EU expansion in power-share row

Date: 14/09/00

By John Shelley

MEPS furious at being sidelined in the ongoing talks on EU treaty reform are threatening to block enlargement unless the European Parliament is given stronger decision-making powers.

Parliamentarians representing the assembly at the Intergovernmental Conference negotiations warn they may be forced to use the ultimate weapon at their disposal if member states do not agree to share power with them in key areas such as justice and home affairs, taxation and social security rules.

The threat to the enlargement process results from the fact that while under Union law MEPs cannot block the treaty reforms due to be agreed at the Nice summit in December, they could veto the admission of new member states.

"If the Treaty of Nice is not good enough, the Parliament could declare the Union is not ready for enlargement," said Greek Socialist MEP Dimitrios Tsatsos, one of the assembly's two IGC representatives.

Insiders say most member states are reluctant to give MEPs new powers because they believe the Parliament is already acquiring them fast enough by stealth.

Some governments see the assembly's increased confidence since it forced the downfall of the Santer Commission as a threat. They are also concerned that a new 'framework' agreement between the Union executive and the Parliament, guaranteeing MEPs' extensive rights to be consulted, gives the assembly too much power over the Commission.

The problem is compounded, they say, by the fact that the two MEPs representing the Parliament at the reform talks, Tsatsos and German Elmar Brok, lack the political clout or negotiating skills to make member states listen. "I think there is a general feeling that the Parliament is not playing its hand very well," said one EU insider. "Maybe it is the fact that the two representatives do not have a great deal of power even within the assembly."

The dispute between the Parliament and governments centres on MEPs' demands to be given joint decision-making powers with governments in all policy areas where decisions are taken in the Council of Ministers by qualified majority vote (QMV). Member states are expected to abolish the unanimity rule in a range of new areas in Nice, but many do not want to give the Parliament co-decision rights in all these fields.

Tsatsos insists the assembly must be given joint legislative powers in every area where QMV applies if the EU is to convince the public that decisions are being made democratically. "The main concern of the people is that there is a democratic deficit in the institutions. The only way to have a reduction of this is to give more powers to the only democratically elected body, the Parliament," he said. "Without that, the EU will lose its credibility in the eyes of the people.