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There is a range of other issues that have attracted attention in the debates
over the draft constitution. Questions such as the distribution of votes
among the member states in the Council or the number of members in the European
Commission have proved very controversial. They are not considered here
because they do not affect the relative importance of the institutions.
They reflect the relative balance of influence among the member states.
In a media and political climate that perpetuates the
illusion that the EU is a place for each member state to fight for its
own interest, rather than a place for the member states to fight together
for their citizens' interests, it is not surprising that such national
questions attract the most attention. It is not the case, though, that
they are the most important issues in the draft constitution, and they
are certainly not the reason why the draft constitution should be supported.
The case for the constitution can be made on the advances
it represents for citizens and their elected representatives.
Conclusion
The European Union started life as a club of six member
states with relatively little power for the parliamentary assembly. Since
then, and as its founders intended, its democratic institutions have acquired
an increasingly important role of their own. The European Parliament is
increasingly significant as a centre of influence in the EU's decision-making
process, in addition to the role still played by the Council of Ministers.
The draft constitution will increase this role further. The methods of
diplomacy continue to give way to the methods of democracy at the European
level.
As a further example of this change, member state parliaments
will gain an influence over the decision-making of the Union in a way
they have not had before. They will be able to scrutinise the actions
of their respective governments in the Council, and to question legislative
proposals from the Commission.
The citizens of Europe will also gain new rights and
new means of influence, in addition to those they currently have through
the representative institutions. No other international body gives individuals
the right to petition its court, for example. The EU is truly a small
revolution in the way that international cooperation is conducted. This
is the reason why the EU is so successful. After all, if the EU does not
reflect and promote the interests of the people of Europe, it will not
survive and prosper.
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