Home What's New Speeches & Articles Newsletter - Jul 2008 Biography Diary Contact Information Photo Album Parliamentary Highlights Publications Links MEPs' Transparency   Conservative Party Latest News from Conservatives.com Conservative Party Website
		Giscard d'Estaing calls for United States of Europe Thursday, 3 October 2002 Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the ex-President of France and now Chairman of the "Constitutional Convention" in Brussels, has called for the EU to be given a new name. He has suggested "The United States of Europe". The Constitutional Convention, set to report early next year, is drafting a "Constitution" or "Constitutional Treaty" for the EU. This Constitution will be considered by Heads of Government at an Intergovernmental Conference in 2004. The Convention consists of MEPs, national MPs, and representatives of member-state governments and the EU's accession states, ten of which are expected to join the EU in 2004. In addition to the suggested name of the United States of Europe, Giscard has also offered "United Europe" and "European Community"', and proposed a debate amongst young Europeans to select a name. East Midlands Tory MEP Roger Helmer is quoted in today's International Herald Tribune as saying "The sort of people who elected me in the East Midlands would recoil in horror from such a name". Speaking later in Brussels, Helmer added: "The Eurozone economy is in tatters, the EU foreign policy is falling apart, and all Giscard can do is talk about a new name: He should worry about the substance, not the name. But this proposal finally nails the lie that no one in the EU wants a superstate. Clearly the Constitutional Convention wants one".