Reacting to the European Council Conclusions on Growth this evening, Guy Verhofstadt,
President of the ALDE Group in the European Parliament said:

"EU leaders have failed in the only area where they could have made concrete progress today. Instead of decisive action they again chose procrastination.  After 40 years of waiting, an agreement was found last year on a European patent but we still have to wait another six months for Member States to agree on the seat of the court causing further delay and costing jobs across the Union at a crucial moment."

"Ten years ago when a similar disagreement persisted between Italy and Finland on the location of the food agency, it was provisionally set up in Brussels until a decision was finally reached  A similar practical solution should be possible today."

EP should be fully associated with treaty negotiations

In response to the exclusion of the European Parliament from the final stage of treaty negotiations between the Heads of State and Government, Verhofstadt added:

"It is deplorable that the EP was excluded from the final negotiations on the new treaty, having been fully associated and contributing actively and constructively to the text for the past month. During the last treaty negotiation in Lisbon, the EP President and its representatives were present with the Heads of State and Government."

Andrew Duff (UK Lib Dem), ALDE constitutional affairs spokesperson added that "this treaty is expedient but nobody can be proud of it. Mr Cameron should tell the world precisely what he finds in the treaty to object to."