The European Parliament,

1. Stresses that the Final Declaration of 30 November 1990 adopted, by a very large majority, by the Conference of Parliaments of the European Community, composed of the twelve national parliaments of the Member States and the European Parliament, lays down precise requirements in respect of the need to enhance the democratic legitimacy of the Community and transform it into a federal European Union;

2. Notes that at its meeting in Rome on 14 and 15 December the European Council raised the matters discussed by the Conference of Parliaments and used them as a basis for the agenda of the Intergovernmental Conference on Political Union, which might pave the way to the establishment of a genuine European Union, if the conclusions of the Intergovernmental Conference honour and give full effect to the European Council's solemn commitment towards the people of Europe;

3. Expresses satisfaction at the support of several governments as regards the principle of joint decision-making between Parliament and Council, particularly the proposals in the recent German-Italian Joint Declaration, but notes that other contributions to the Intergovernmental Conferences propose a substantial strengthening of cooperation of a purely intergovernmental nature and would thus entail a dramatic worsening of the democratic deficit at both national and Community level;

4. Considers that the improvement of parliamentary power of control over the activities of the Commission, in particular through the inquiry, petition and discharge procedures, should not be used as an excuse to evade the indispensable task of eliminating the deficit, in terms of democracy and efficacy, affecting legislative procedures and the appointment of the Commission;

5. Rejects the argument that democracy and efficiency are diametrically opposed and points out that efficiency is conditional upon the importance of the democratic dimension in decision-making procedures at national and Community level; also stresses that the delays that have occurred on certain issues are attributable, in almost every case, to the Council;

8. Requests the Parliaments of the Member States to follow the example of the Italian Chamber of Deputies and to call upon their governments to comply with the demands set out in the Rome Final Declaration and to announce that they will not authorize ratification of the results of the Intergovernmental Conferences until they have been approved by the European Parliament;

9. Issues a warning that it will reject any Conference result which fails to apply the principles set out above;