Mr President, I welcome this debate on the future shape of the European Union. In my view we need a Union that is effective, efficient and democratic, and it needs to be united politically to have fully developed foreign, economic, monetary, social and environmental policies. One of the strengths today of the Union is solidarity between the different parts of the Union that is expressed through the structural funds and other policies, such as the common agricultural policy, which are often modulated to help the poor regions. This particular aspect must continue.

European nations which agree to share sovereignty in key policy areas and agree to be bound by majority decision will form a genuine political union.

There cannot be a place for opt-outs or policies applied at different speeds. If the experience of Maastricht shows us anything, it shows us that the British opt-out on the social chapter is an absurdity both in practical and legal terms. To increase the number of opt-outs to suit the whims of other Member States will make the whole Treaty unworkable.

We must also reject the notion of reserving some key policies to intergovernmental cooperation because it is a cumbersome and secretive machinery. In any case, if the number of Member States does increase, as it probably will, it will become practically impossible to manage dynamic policies on an intergovernmental basis. All key policy areas in the Union must be subject to a majority vote in the Council and a majority vote in Parliament itself.

The next treaty following the 1996 review must simplify our procedures and increase the democratic control exercised by this Parliament. The British Prime Minister, in his contribution to this debate, said he considered Parliament's drive for more power a flawed ambition. We should make it clear that he is the one who lacks vision in the future and has a flawed ambition. There must be a democratic legitimacy in the future; it must be reserved to this particular Parliament; our powers must be increased and we must force the issue. We should force it by being prepared not to give assent to any new treaty unless those powers are recognized and enshrined.