Date: 29 September 2004

Speaker: Graham Watson, MEP, Leader of the ALDE Group

 
Presenting the views of his political group within the European Parliament, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, speaker Graham Watson, spoke at a CEPS lunchtime meeting on 29 September 2004.  Mr. Watson gave a short background of the ALDE group, which was formed in July by the amalgamation of the old ELDR group with a large group of MEPs, from the French UDF and Italian La Margherita, and a number of MEPs from Italy, Belgium and Lithuania.  The group now totals 88 MEPs and is the third largest force in the history of the European Parliament.  The group combines the liberal tradition of the ELDR with the centrist democratic tradition of the UDF and Margherita.  Mr. Watson then spoke of his party’s political priorities for the next session of the European Parliament, and the Group’s assessment of the Barroso Commission. 
 
Mr. Watson addressed the issue of creating a more political Parliament, stating that MEPs who campaigned against Socialists and Christian Democrats in national elections were all too eager to ‘cuddle up’ to those same opponents when they got to Brussels.  He emphasised the point that connecting the European Parliament to European citizens is an absolute imperative, which requires the EP to develop a stronger political profile.  Another theme the British MEP touched upon was the need for a strong and liberal-minded Commission.  The ALDE supported Commission President Barroso as a moderate of the political centre and his college of nominees who are liberal in the broadest sense: reform-minded and committed to the renewal of the Lisbon agenda.  The Barroso Commission includes seven Liberal Democrats, a major improvement over the two appointed to the Prodi Commission. 
 
Economic reform was also discussed, with Mr. Watson observing that Barroso wants his Commission to focus on this area.  According to the ALDE Group, those reforms should include the Commission focusing on Lisbon and Gothenburg objectives, and full implementation of the Single Market Directives at member state level.  With this being a political problem as much as anything, Mr. Watson says a strong Commission is needed with the backing of the Parliament to cajole and coerce member states to internalise the single market reforms.  
 
For the ALDE Group, the European Constitution is a crucial step in Europe’s ability to work as a Union.  With the institutional machinery of the Union badly stretched by enlargement there is no question that it needs to be reformed, and the Constitution does this, says Mr Watson.  The Constitution imposes new standards of accountability on all the institutions of the EU.  It also strengthens the powers of the democratically elected EP by extending co decision procedure to some new areas.  The ALDE Group will be campaigning to ensure that the Constitution ratified in all member states.  
 
Mr. Watson concluded by saying that ALDE’s ambitions are not limited to just these few areas, but that they also want to take a lead on justice and home affairs issues such as migration and in the areas of the environment and consumer protection.  These are areas in which Europe has done well, but could do even more.
 
 
Read the text of the speech delivered by Graham Watson, MEP.