Giscard hits out as EU constitution showdown nears

Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing led the charge yesterday to defend a draft European Union constitution from being unpicked and Italy urged governments to compromise as talks neared a climax.

EU leaders are set for a showdown summit next week to finalise the constitution, meant to ensure the bloc can function effectively after it expands eastwards from 15 to 25 member states next May and its population swells to 450 million.

"We would very much like to see the constitution adopted, but let's be clear about this, we would rather do without a constitution than have a bad one," Giscard told European Parliament and national deputies, who backed his strong warning.

"History teaches us that bad constitutions, those which are felt to be unjust or ineffective by the citizens to whom they apply, lead to revolutions or rebellion," he added.

"In this particular case I don't think there will be any barricades being thrown up, but I do think we would see the gradual falling apart of the European Union," he said.

The national deputies and European Parliamentarians spent 16 months under Giscard's leadership drawing up the current proposal and do not want to see it undone. In a statement, the parliamentarians urged EU leaders to stick to the draft.

Foreign ministers from the 15 current and 10 new member states will meet on Monday for their final round of talks before the EU leaders start their negotiations on December 12 to end the Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) on the new charter.