Italian PM Prodi speaks to MEPs on Tuesday, Dutch PM Balkenende on Wednesday
Ahead of June's European Council two Prime Ministers are in Strasbourg this week to debate with MEPs on what Europe should do about its Constitutional impasse. They offer an interesting contrast: Italian Premier Romano Prodi was Commission President in 2004 when the draft Constitution was signed while Jan Peter Balkenende was PM when the Netherlands rejected the Constitution in a referendum in May 2005 just days after France.
Of the 27 EU members 18 have already ratified the Constitution with another 7 having frozen the ratification process after the French and Dutch "No" votes in May 2005. Following those referenda, Europe entered into a period of "reflection" into what should happen next.
PM's debate with MEPs on Constitutional debate
In response to this the European Parliament has launched a series of "Citizens Forums" across the Union to gauge public feeling and see what people think the EU should be concentrating on. It forms part of the Commission's "Plan D" of "democracy, dialogue and debate". The Parliament has also invited several EU leaders to address the House on this specific issue. The Prime Minister of Luxembourg - Jean Claude Juncker, Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt and Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern have already addressed MEPs.
In March this year when EU leaders met in Berlin to mark 50 years since the signing of the Rome Treaty, they issued a statement which stated "we are united in our aim of placing the European Union on a renewed common basis before the European Parliament elections in 2009". German Chancellor Angela Merkel has made progress on the Constitution a priority of Berlin's 6 month term as holders of the EU's Presidency. Mrs Merkel would like to see countries agree to a roadmap on institutional reform. Prior to the June summit the Presidency has sent questionnaires out to all countries and the European Parliament looking for opinions on the best way forward.
Pöttering-Sarkozy hold talks
On Monday this week Parliament's President Hans-Gert Pöttering met new French President Nicolas Sarkozy. After the meeting Mr Pöttering commented that they both agreed there should be a "rapid solution" to the Constitutional problem. On the substance of the Constitution he went on to say that "the European Parliament is resolved to carry out the first part of the Constitutional Treaty, the part that concerns reforms. We also wish that all that concerns the values and forms part of the second part should be translated into European law". President Pöttering said he had invited the President Sarkozy to address the Parliament.
The leaders of all the political Groups in the Parliament will meet Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Wednesday to discuss Constitutional issues. Last month Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee approved a draft report on the need for the EU to adopt a road map on the Constitution.
Mr Prodi will speak at 1500 today and Mr Balkenende at the same time on Wednesday. You can watch both men live here on the Parliament's website via the link below.
