Speaking at a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference, McAvan argued that the Constitution promotes many of the same principles that form the core values of UK voluntary organisations such as social justice, eradication of poverty and minority rights.

Highlighting the fact that the Constitution preserves the principle of civil dialogue, which would oblige EU institutions and member states to maintain open dialogue with voluntary organisations, McAvan said: “The draft document puts paid to the notion that the EU is simply about a giant free market. It sets out the progressive values on which the EU is founded. These include not just basic civil liberties but rights for minorities, pluralism, non-discrimination, solidarity and equality between women and men.”

The meeting, The Voluntary Sector, in Europe for Good? was organised by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and included speeches by Poul Nyrup Rasmussen MEP, a former Danish Prime Minister who recently replaced Robin Cook as President of the Party of European Socialists, Tom Levitt MP and Helen O’Connell from One World Action.

Nolan Quigley, NCVO’s European and International Officer, said: “This is an important new development in the debate around the constitution. NCVO has plans to consult with its members to see how supportive they are of the European Constitution. Many UK voluntary organisations are already actively campaigning in Brussels and engaging with the European political process on behalf of their beneficiaries.”

NCVO runs a Eurogroup, which is an informal network of NGOs and voluntary organisations active at the EU level – for more information call 020 7713 6161.