European Greens support E.U. Constitution, with caveats
By Mike Feinstein
Advisor to U.S. Green International Committee

In a specially called council meeting of the European Green Party, representatives from national Green Parties across Europe came together Feb. 17 in Brussels, Belgium, to vote on the proposed European Union Constitution.

What position to take and even whether to take a position were in debate at this extraordinary session, the first ever called among European Green parties to take a position on a single, pan-European issue. By a vote of 51 in favor, seven against, and no abstentions, the Council said yes.

According to Grazia Francescato, co-spokesperson of the European Green Party: "A good majority of the Greens in Europe believe that a yes to the Constitution is of extreme importance for the development of a more democratic Europe. Despite its defects, the Constitution will be a step forward towards more transparent and people-friendly European politics. With the adoption of the Constitution, the nightmare Nice Treaty, a result of behind-the-scenes horse-trading, would be over."

The proposed Constitution builds upon the E.U.'s two primary existing treaties, the Treaty of Rome of 1957 and the Maastricht Treaty of 1992, as modified by the more recent treaties of Amsterdam (1997) and Nice (2001). Although signed in Rome in Oct. 2004, for the new Constitution to go into effect it must also be ratified by each member state. This process is likely to take about two years.

The ratification process varies from country to country depending on national traditions, constitutional arrangements, and political processes. Three nations-Lithuania, Hungary, and Slovenia-have already completed parliamentary ratification of the treaty. But at least ten member states plan to hold referendums. In some cases, the result of these referendums will be legally binding; in others it will be merely consultative.

With the first referendum scheduled for Feb. 20 in Spain, many Greens had argued for a European Green position in advance of these referendums. This debate occurred in Dublin in Nov. 2004, at the last regular European Green Council meeting, at which the Brussels meeting was scheduled.

Those opposed to the Brussels vote argued that many national Green Parties had not yet taken a position domestically, and since the E.U. Constitution vote was to be taken nation by nation, position-taking on it should be left up to the national parties, especially since some of them would be actually campaigning against the Constitution in their own countries.

Those in favor of taking a position argued that this was exactly why the European Green Party was formed (out of the European Federation of Green Parties) in Feb. 2004 in Rome-to provide Green voices on issues of European-wide importance. What could be more European-wide than a European constitution?

The parties that voted against the adoption of the Treaty for the Constitution were Miljöpartiet de Gröna-Sweden, De Grønne-Denmark, Miljöpartiet De Gronne-Norway, Ecologists Greens-Greece.

Among Greens supporting the yes position, all acknowledged that this was a strategic position to improve the status quo over Nice. They pointed to advances in the European social arena: environment, labor rights, opposition to the death penalty, the positive E.U. role in Kyoto. Opponents countered that in Part III, the proposed Constitution attempts to institutionalize neo-liberal economic doctrine as law.

Said Pekka Haavisto (Finland), co-spokesperson of the European Green Party: "The current text of the Constitution can only be a first step, since it is still far from the ideal democratic standards which we Greens envisage, in particular in Part III. The job of the Greens will be to start reforming the Constitution's text in an even more democratic direction as soon as this is ratified." One tool that supporters point to in this effort is the provision of the constitution that allows for a Europe-wide (advisory) initiative. Greens hope to use this to propose a democratizing amendment.

Whether Greens voted yes or no on the Constitution in Brussels, they all supported the right of every E.U. citizen to vote on it as well, and called for a public referendum in every country, even if it endangers passage.

Since Brussels, the E.U. Constitution referendum received 79 percent support in Spain, with Spanish Green MEP (member of European Parliament) David Hammerstein playing a visible role in the pro-constitution campaign. The next referendum will be May 29 and it is a big test-France.

For a copy of the complete text of the resolution, go to www.europeangreens.org/info/resolutions/brussels2005.pdf.

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