on the Future of the Constitutional Framework of the European Union Statement of EWLA, 12 May 2007
The General Assembly of the European Women Lawyers Association (EWLA), held on 12 May 2007 in Zurich, Switzerland, unanimously adopted the following
RESOLUTION ON THE FUTURE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Having regard to the 12 contributions of EWLA to the Convention, its 3 appeals to the Intergovernmental Conference of 2004 regarding the draft Constitutional Treaty, its Resolutions on the Future of Europe of 2005 and 2006, its statement on the Reflection Period, and the subsequent developments,
EWLA welcomes
The statements of the European institutions, including the Berlin Declaration of 25 March 2007, which focus on the need to safeguard and protect the acquis in fundamental rights as well as peace as the raison d’être and the hope of the European Union
EWLA underlines the following proposals regarding crucial constitutional issues:
I. Should Part I of the Constitutional Treaty be the basis for the next Treaty revision, it should also include:
1. Peace among the values of the European Union (Part I, Art 2, of the Constitutional Treaty).
2. Among the general objectives of the European Union (Part I, Art 3, of the Constitutional Treaty):
o Certain objectives which are currently in the EC-Treaty, in particular the improvement of the quality of life and employment;
o Combating violence and trafficking in persons;
in order to provide a legal basis for Community measures (Art. 308 EC-Treaty).
3. Title 1 of Part III of the Constitutional Treaty (the horizontal objectives including gender mainstreaming, combating discrimination, and environmental protection).
4. The guarantee of reconciling of professional, private and family life, and of maternity and paternity protection.
II. The Charter of Fundamental Rights as proclaimed in Nice, in December 2000, should be maintained, without the amendments made by the European Convention and the Intergovernmental Conference, which restrict the Charter’s scope and the acquis (see for details EWLA’s 6th contribution to the European Convention under www.ewla.org).