“The
fundamentals of the Constitution have been maintained in large part…
We have renounced everything that makes people think of a state, like
the flag and the national anthem.”
Angela Merkel,
German Chancellor - El Pais, 24 June 2007
"The
substance of the constitution has been retained".
Hans-Gert Poettering,
the President of the European Parliament - speaking to the Council
of Europe, Strasbourg, 26th June 2007
“The
text consists, in effect, of a revival of a large part of the substance
of the Constitutional Treaty”.
Valery Giscard d’Estaing,
former French president and chief architect of the EU Constitution
- personal blog, 26 June 2007
“The
adoption of the substance of the European Constitution under a new
name is a serious violation of democratic principles.”
Jean-Luc Melenchon,
French Senator and one of the main leaders of the 'No' campaign within
the Socialist Party - Le Monde,
26 June 2007
"The
substance of the Constitutional Treaty has been preserved".
Jo Leinen MEP
- head of the European Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee
- Agence Europe, 26th June 2007
"A
great part of the content of the European Constitution is captured
in the new treaties”
Jose Zapatero,
Spanish Prime Minister - El
Pais, 23 June 2007
“The
good thing is...that all the symbolic elements are gone, and that
which really matters – the core – is left.”
Anders Fogh Rasmussen,
Danish Prime Minister - Jyllands-Posten, 25 June 2007
“There’s
nothing from the original institutional package that has been changed”
Astrid Thors,
Finnish
Europe Minister - TV-Nytt, 23 June 2007
“They
haven't changed the substance - 90 per cent of it is still there."
Bertie Ahern,
Irish Prime Minister - Irish Independent, 24 June 2007
and
on the change
of name for the EU Foreign Minister ...
"It's
the original job as proposed but they just put on this long title
- High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and
also vice President of the Commission. It's the same job […] it's
still going to be the same position."
Bertie Ahern,
Irish Prime Minister - Irish Independent, 24 June 2007
“Despite
all the compromises, the substance of the draft EU Constitution has
been safeguarded.”
Elmar Brok MEP,
Chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee -
Euractiv, 25 June 2007
"The
referendum which the Spanish approved the Constitution has been decisive,
and 99% of its content has survived.”
Diego Lopez Garrido,
parliamentary spokesman for the Spanish Socialist party - El Pais,
25 June 2007
"As
long as we have more or less a European Prime Minister and a European
Foreign Minister then we can give them any title"
Romano Prodi, Italian Prime Minister
- speech in Lisbon, 2 May 2007
“It’s
essentially the same proposal as the old Constitution.”
Margot Wallstrom,
EU Communications Commissioner - Svenska Dagbladet, 26 June 2007
