 It is said that US interest groups this way pursued their goal of hindering the European Union to become a stronger partner internationally.However, the British conservative MEP Jonathan Evans reported to EUobserver on 9 December 2008 after returning from a European Parliament delegation to the US, "[o]ur congressional colleagues drew our attention to a statement from US deputy secretary of state John Negroponte at Trinity College Dublin on 17 November, completely refuting the suggestion of any US dimension whatsoever".The European Parliament is considering launching "an inquiry to discover whether US agencies actively supported Libertas in the 12 June referendum."