Brussels may seek UN seat and right to sign treaties

The European Union should have the legal power to sign treaties and take seats on international bodies such as the United Nations, an inquiry into the future of Europe has concluded. The move raises the prospect that the EU could, in future, sign agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol on global warming on behalf of its member states, or take over the UN Security Council seats now occupied by the UK and France.

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, president of a convention on the future of Europe, said there was general agreement on proposals to end its confused and ill-defined status within international law. He also suggested this could be combined with a change of name for the European Union, listing three possible choices: the European Community, the United States of Europe or, after enlargement to the east, United Europe.

The convention of 105 politicians is planning a revamp of EU structures in 2004, which will be decided by member states. The growing consensus on the need for a change of legal status emerged from a working group within the convention chaired by the former Italian prime minister Giuliano Amato.

It is seen both by federalists and Eurosceptics as a significant development. Andrew Duff, a Liberal Democrat and pro-European member of the convention, said: "It is an extraordinarily important step forward and something we have been trying to acquire for 20 years, and its significance is not to be underestimated. It grants a little piece of sovereignty to the EU it has not had before and implies, for example, that the EU could have signed the Kyoto Protocol on behalf of member states and been responsible for enforcing it."