ALDE pleads for firmness in IGC against unreasonable demands

7.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 10th Oct 2007

During the European Parliamentary debate today with representatives of the Council and Commission on the planned EU summit next week in Lisbon, ALDE members indicated their concern as to the current state of negotiations on the amending Treaty.

"We will probably reach a political agreement but what I am concerned about is its quality," commented Andrew Duff (UK, Lib Dem) and ALDE constitutional affairs spokesman.

"We will start to look like a self-service Europe, transformed by British demands to obtain opt-out clauses on the Charter of fundamental rights, on justice and on home affairs which risk undermining the scope for the other Members of the Union."

"The Presidency and the Commission must not give in to the unreasonable demands of Poland which seek to legally strengthen the Ioanina compromise with a formal protocol. Ioanina is the descendant of the Luxembourg compromise and as such should remain a gentleman's agreement," he concluded.

Graham Watson, president of the ALDE group also called upon the Council presidency to hold firm at the summit. "You must hold firm to Europe's red lines and deliver a text capable of building a strong, responsive and effective Union when you meet in Lisbon."

Watson also contests the fate of the Charter of fundamental rights. "We cannot have two classes of citizen," he said. "Parliament must do its damnedest to ensure British and Polish opt outs are not preserved in perpetuity. If certain countries cannot accept reasonable compromise they should start thinking about an amicable divorce from our Union."

ENDS