Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-24-Speech-2-056"
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"en.20001024.3.2-056"2
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"You mentioned the idea of a referendum to be held simultaneously in all the Member States. This too, I feel, is an idea of great symbolic and democratic significance, and I think it is worth looking into.
Mr Duhamel, you spoke with great passion, and that is what this subject requires, given the resistance and reluctance shown by some. In fact, a great deal of passion is needed here, and that is what we need now, too, in order to make a success of the institutional reform. We need a great deal of passion, both on your part and on ours, in order to make a breakthrough. By way of a thank you for the response, and the amount of attention you are giving this constitutional debate, let me remind you of the additional dimension it has in relation to all the complex matters we are working on in the context of negotiations for institutional reform, such as qualified majority voting and the weighting of votes, which are subjects that are not easy to understand and which must be explained to the citizens.
The issues of a possible constitution, a fundamental treaty, the clear definition of competences and the Charter all have one common feature: the fact that they have a political and a democratic dimension, I was about to say a citizens’ dimension. These will give the Nice talks, even if they have to be gone into in further detail after Nice, that citizens’ dimension which the European Union needs. It has been my opinion for a long time that the main failing of the construction of Europe is that it is a matter for the elite. Admittedly it is sometimes handled with courage and tenacity, but it remains in the hands of the elite, behind closed doors, to some extent, as far as the general public is concerned. The worst scenario for the construction of Europe in the days to come is that this silence will be maintained, as silence is what fuels fears. This silence encourages all sorts of demagoguery and all sorts of anti-European campaigns. We must break this silence and initiate debate involving the public, and it is by means of initiatives such as yours, Mr Duhamel, initiatives which can speak to the hearts and minds of our citizens that we shall be able to contribute towards redressing this democratic deficit. So that is also why I wished to thank you, as well as to thank you for the form and the content of the initiative you have taken."@en1
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