Airstrip One

The Commission's Contribution - 5th December 2002, 22.48.

Romano Prodi's speech has been no secret and contained few surprises in its submission to the European Convention. Prodi knows that he has little chance of seeing his proposals come into force without the support of the smaller states. His proposals were for qualified majority voting in all areas; the removal of national vetoes; the European parliament to control the budget; and a "foreign secretary" answerable to the Commission. This was wrapped up in the soundbite and oxymoron - "the first true supranational democracy in the world" and directly opposes some of Blair's own proposals.

The Commission is allying with the smaller countries to regain the initiative in European affairs and overturn the intergovernmental dominance of the large powers during the last decade. Its agenda is a throwback to the nineteen-eighties and the culmination of the federalist vision of that time where Commission and Parliament would be the tools to unify Europe.