ALDE will play an active part in renegotiation of Constitutional Treaty

2.33.12pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th Jun 2007

Members of the Liberal and Democrat Alliance for Europe have taken an active part in the 3rd Joint Parliamentary Meeting on the Future of Europe, being held yesterday and today in the European Parliament in Brussels.

ALDE have in the past vigorously supported the draft Constitution and are therefore not willing to renounce its substance for the sake of a new, renegotiated Treaty. ""Despite the best efforts of Angela Merkel and the upcoming Portuguese Presidency, we may well go into the 2009 European elections on the basis of the Treaty of Nice. Liberals and Democrats must redouble our efforts to find a solution but must not sacrifice the core of the Constitutional treaty purely in order to reach an agreement", ALDE Leader Graham Watson stated.

National MEPs insisted on the importance that national Parliaments would now have within this negotiation process, if the European Council agrees on 21/22 June. "National Parliaments and the European Parliament appear to be united - with one exception - behind the german presidency's plans to settle Europe's constitutional dilemma" remarked Andrew DUFF (LibDem, United Kingdom), ALDE spoke person for Constitutional affairs who noted: "That exception is the United Kingdom, which now risks isolation as the rest of the European Union gets on with the job of reform. Only a strengthened and more democratic EU can meet public concerns about security, liberty et solidarity", Duff concluded.