Diana speaks at AGM of the Yorkshire and the Humber branch of the European Movement

12.00.00pm GMT Mon 26th Nov 2007

Liberal Democrat MEP Diana Wallis spoke at the AGM of the Yorkshire and the Humber branch of the European Movement at the University of York on Saturday 24th November.

Several members of the University's Young European Movement were also present to hear Diana speak about her work as a Vice President of the European Parliament and her views on the EU Reform Treaty.

At the meeting Diana Wallis MEP, the first British woman to be elected a Vice President of the European Parliament, said:

"I'd be quite happy to call the Reform Treaty a rule book, because that's all it is, but I do think we need a debate about it; it has everything in it that the rejected Constitutional Treaty had except the anthem, the emblem and, I regret, the motto 'United in Diversity'."

Diana Wallis went on to say that we wouldn't turn public opinion round if we are all standing in the goal mouth on the defensive. Having a referendum would make us go out there and put the case for the European Union. "I have faith in the common sense of people that we would get the right result," she said.

"Whatever our reluctance as Europeans, the others have up to now always wanted to hear the British point of view in parliamentary committees.

"But we now find that colleagues from other countries have actually started questioning whether British members should take any reports or be allowed to vote on proposed opt-outs, as they are starting to think that we do not take our membership seriously.

"I sense we went a bit too far this time with our 'red lines' in this treaty discussion. It has created an antagonistic attitude: 'Alright, if you don't want to play, we won't let you play' could become fact. For example, we have retained the opt-out in the area of Civil Law which to me threatens the proper functioning of the internal market.

"Negativity from us breeds negativity from others, and in the end we will be the losers if we continue in that vein."

(Photo shows: (left) Les Parkes Chairman of the Yorkshire & the Humber branch of the European Movement, Diana Wallis MEP and (right) Tomáš Ruta, President of the Young European Movement.)