(Brussels, February 14, 2003) – Nine leading environmental organisations have jointly written to the members of the Convention on the Future of Europe calling for crucial amendments to the first proposed articles of the new Constitutional Treaty.

The organisations - Birdlife International, Climate Action Network Europe, European Environmental Bureau, Friends of Nature International, European Federation for Transport and Environment, Friends of the Earth Europe, Greenpeace, Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development and World Wide Fund for Nature – have attached two detailed amendments to their letter.

They warn that these are aimed at preventing the new Constitutional Treaty from being a serious step BACKWARDS compared with the existing Treaty of the European Community.

“Art. 3 of the Presidium's proposal is substantially weaker on defining what sustainable development means in terms of the environment, than the existing article 2 of the EC Treaty,” the letter says. “We also add from the Brundtland definition of Sustainable Development the responsibility towards future generations.”

The nine organisations’ suggested amendments include concrete suggestions and explanations, following the Presidium’s decision to delete Art. 6 of the EC Treaty, which obliges the EU to integrate, in all its policies, environmental protection requirements.

“Environmental concerns and sustainable development are unchangingly high on the agenda of the European citizens,” say the group of nine. “Weakening the role of the EU in the way the Presidium has (we assume unintentionally) would be difficult to defend to the public at large. We call upon you to help us preventing such a deterioration.”

The Praesidium of the Convention on the Future EU published the draft proposals for the first sixteen articles for a future EU Constitution on 6 February 2003, and gave Convention members until Monday 17 February to present their amendments to the 16 articles.

On behalf of the 9 organisations, for further information, contact:
John Hontelez, EEB, email hontelez@eeb.org ; tel: +32 2 289 1090