The declaration by France and Germany in support of a European Constitution has met with varied Irish reaction. The response in Government circles was measured and cautious, whereas critics of the EU project rejected the declaration outright.
In their first joint statement backing the proposal, President Chirac and Chancellor Schr÷der said in Nantes: "The European constitution that Germany and France wish for will be an essential step in the historic process of European integration."
They were meeting less than a month before the end-of-year European summit at Laeken, Belgium, where a Convention to discuss the future of Europe is due to be launched which will include representatives of national governments and parliaments as well as the European Parliament and Commission.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said in a written reply to a Dβil question this week that the Government was arguing for "a focused agenda" for the Convention, aimed at reducing the "disconnection" between the EU and its citizens. Government sources pointed out that the Convention would be followed by an Inter-Governmental Conference, lasting about a year, and that any decisions on the future shape of the EU had to be agreed unanimously by the member-states at the end of the IGC. "The real, substantial negotiation is for the IGC," the sources said.
The idea of an EU constitution was described as "a very ambitious concept" by Government sources. But the Government would be examining the Franco-German declaration, along with all the other positions emerging in the debate which was still at an early stage.
There was sharp criticism from the Green MEP, Ms Patricia McKenna, who said: "What is the point in having our own written constitution in Ireland if an EU constitution is introduced which overrides everything?"