Brussels fails to learn from its past mistakes: another attempt at a constitution is misguided and untimely!

The European Parliament’s plenary session on Wednesday proposed an amendment to the founding treaties governing the functioning of the Union, which would seriously damage the interests of Member States by creating a centralised European superstate, jeopardising the EU’s motto of “Unity in Diversity”. The EU Parliament’s attempt to amend the Treaties is unacceptable, even as a discussion document.

Fidesz MEP László Trócsányi stressed that the proposal echoes the spirit of 2005, when France and the Netherlands voted down the similarly centralising Treaty establishing the European Constitution in referendums. “Today, the European Parliament again wants a constitution disguised in a Treaty, with a president and ministers, a European referendum and new EU powers and procedures. What is this if not constitutionalism?”

The report has been drafted with complete disregard for the need for even geographic distribution, as four of the five authors of the proposal are German and include the notoriously federalist Guy Verhofstadt. The text also fails to respect the principle of equality between Member States, which is the key to the success of European cooperation. “If this principle is rejected, it will undermine faith in the need for European integration”, the MEP underlined.

“The citizens of the Member States want strong member states and a strong Europe. If we weaken the powers of the Member States, we weaken Europe. Today, we have many issues for which we need to find solutions. War, migration, Europe’s weak competitiveness. Solving these issues is more urgent than amending the treaties”, stressed MEP László Trócsányi.