When It Comes to Europe, David Cameron Is Howling in the Night
THE TELEGRAPH: The other 26 EU countries are not about to exhume the corpse of national sovereignty, says Simon Heffer.

Politicians find it hard to be honest with the public because the truth always hurts, and disaffects, a large portion of the electorate. The fraudulent debate being conducted about our economy, and how to revive it, is the result of this; and so, too, is the problem the Conservative Party has about Europe. That problem is back, mutating into a civil war, and it is going to get much worse.

It is curious that David Miliband should find it preferable to be the leader of the opposition of a glorified county council than to be the leading proconsul of an imperial power: he seems not to have accurately appraised the full reach of the superstate created by the Treaty of Lisbon. David Cameron, by contrast, seems to have worked that out, which is why he was so fervently opposed to the treaty's being enacted.

I do not doubt his sincere dislike of the treaty. Lisbon countermands any idea of a British democracy. That our Prime Minister should have signed it was a constitutional outrage. But Mr Cameron's inevitable decision to abandon his "cast iron" promise to have a referendum was handled extremely foolishly. He should have done it sooner rather than appear to have strung people along. I do not know whether he is obtuse or simply dishonest. I do not know at which point he realised that there would not continue to be a separate entity called the Treaty of Lisbon from which, by repealing an Act of Parliament, he could have Britain resile at any time. I do not know when he worked out that it was going to be consolidated into the governing treaty of the European Union. I do not know whether he has realised that the only referendum it is feasible for him to call, should he have the power to do so, is one that asks the public whether they wish Britain to stay in the EU, or to get out.

I do not like to impugn anyone's motives – even when he is Leader of the Opposition – but the mess Mr Cameron made last week in this desperate attempt to distract attention from his humiliating
U-turn does raise further questions. In setting out his new policy towards Europe, he seemed to show a continued unrealism about the institution with which he is dealing. >>> Simon Heffer | Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Lisbon Treaty: More of Britain's Powers Surrendered to Brussels
THE TELEGRAPH: Britain's power to govern itself is to be surrendered increasingly to Brussels after the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty was finally ratified.

The treaty, which will come into force within a few weeks, will create the first president of Europe, as well as a European foreign minister, and will end Britain’s right to veto new EU rules in more than 40 policy areas.

The treaty's supporters say it will allow the EU to operate more efficiently and give it greater influence in world affairs.

But critics say it will cede too much more of Britain's sovereignty to Brussels.

Vaclav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, yesterday signed the Lisbon Treaty, ending eight years of resistance to its attempt to give more power to the EU.

The Czechs are the last of the 27 EU states to sign the treaty, and their move forced the Conservatives to abandon their pledge to hold a British referendum on Lisbon.

William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said it was “a bad day for British democracy”.

David Cameron, the Conservative leader, will today set out plans for an alternative Tory pledge to renegotiate several parts of Britain’s EU membership, trying to win back control over social and employment laws.

It is understood that one of Mr Cameron's options will be to guarantee a referendum for British voters under a Tory government if any more national powers were in danger of being ceded to Brussels.

Mr Cameron’s retreat on announcing a referendum on the newly ratified treaty has led to accusations of breaking his promise and betraying the British people.

The Lisbon Treaty is based on the European Constitution, which started at a summit in Brussels in December 2001.

Gordon Brown hailed the Czech signature as “a historic step,” and European leaders said it will create a more powerful EU.

Despite the scale of the changes the treaty makes, the British people have never been directly consulted on the document, which was ratified in a Commons vote and signed by Mr Brown in 2007.

Labour won the 2005 general election having promised a referendum on the European Constitution but then dropped the pledge, arguing that Lisbon was a different document.

The Conservatives gave a “cast-iron” guarantee of a vote on Lisbon.

But after Mr Klaus signed the text, the Tories admitted that they will not offer voters a say on Lisbon.

Mr Hague said that once ratified, the treaty will cease to exist as a distinct legal document, meaning no vote can be held on it.

He said: “Now that the treaty has become European law and is going to enter into force, that means that a referendum can no longer prevent the creation of the president of the European council, the loss of British national vetoes, these things will already have happened, and a referendum cannot unwind them or prevent them.”

Daniel Hannan, a Tory MEP and leading Euro-sceptic said the signing was a step towards a European super-state. “The boot continues to stamp on the human face,” he said.

Mr Hague last night attempted to blame Labour for the treaty’s passage. He said: “People have never been consulted or voted in a general election for this.

"The British people have never even voted once, and we will not let people forget whose responsibility that is.”

Mr Brown insisted that the signing of the treaty was something to celebrate. >>> James Kirkup and Bruno Waterfield | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Czech Leader Signs Lisbon Treaty as Tories Concede Defeat Over Referendum
TIMES ONLINE: The Eurosceptic leader of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, has signed the Lisbon treaty, finally giving effect to a much-delayed accord designed to overhaul the institutions of the European Union and give the bloc a greater say in world affairs.

The move forced the Tory leadership to concede defeat tonight over their plans to hold a referendum on the treaty with David Cameron promising to clarify his party's policy on Europe tomorrow.

William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said it was “no longer possible” to put the treaty to a popular vote. “Now that the treaty is going to become European law and is going to enter into force, that means a referendum can no longer prevent the creation of the president of the European Council, the loss of British national vetoes,” he said.

“These things will already have happened and a referendum cannot unwind them or prevent them.”

President Klaus confirmed that he had signed the pact only hours after the text was given the green light by a Czech court which had been asked to rule on its constitutionality.

"I signed the Lisbon Treaty today at 1500," he told reporters in Prague as an aircraft prepared to take the Czech articles of ratification to Rome, where the original treaty setting up the EU was signed.

Mr Klaus was the last EU leader to ratify the treaty, which began life as the EU Constitution, and his signature means the 27 EU member states can pick their first-ever full-time president as well as a new foreign affairs representative. >>> Philippe Naughton, Philip Webster and Roger Boyes | Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Blair for President? 'Not Necessarily a Good Idea,' Says His Former Adviser
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: And polls throughout Europe – and 38,000 petition signatories – agree. Jane Merrick reports on the gathering momentum to stop the former PM

Tony Blair's former chief adviser on the EU has misgivings about the ex-prime minister becoming President of Europe, as the campaign to overturn his bid gathers pace.

Sir Stephen Wall – one of the key architects of the post of EU president – said a high-profile figure such as Mr Blair was "not necessarily a very good idea" and cast doubt on his ability to build consensus among EU leaders. A figure from a smaller state would send a "unifying signal", he added.

The surprise intervention came amid growing signs that a President Blair would not be welcomed by ordinary citizens of Europe, despite their leaders showing support.

Research by The Independent on Sunday suggests a democratic discrepancy between voters and national leaders – who wield the votes for the new president. The findings are supported by a European-wide petition to stop Mr Blair taking the post, which comes with a string of perks. Nearly 38,000 people have signed the petition, yet he remains a favourite with bookmakers and with a growing number of EU leaders.

After the IoS asked readers' opinions last week, hundreds responded – and those saying No to Mr Blair outnumbered Yes by 20 to 1. His role in the Iraq war was the main complaint. As the process for choosing a European Council president draws to a close later this year, Mr Blair is expected to appear before the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war.

Comments from readers and petitioners suggest that Mr Blair appears to have misjudged the public anger that still exists over Iraq. Last night sources close to the former prime minister claimed he remained focused on his job as Middle East envoy and was "really enjoying his new life".

The EU president, a role created by the Lisbon Treaty, will be decided before the end of this year, with only Vaclav Klaus, the Czech president, yet to ratify the charter. Despite voters' opposition, EU leaders appear to be inching towards acclamation of Mr Blair at a meeting in Brussels in December. Yet Sir Stephen, who criticised Mr Blair over Iraq, said in an interview with the journal European Voice that the ex-PM would not be suitable if the post was designed for consensus-building in the 27-nation bloc.

Sir Stephen was the UK's permanent representative to the EU between 1995 and 2000, before working as Mr Blair's European adviser until 2004. During his time at No 10, Sir Stephen helped devise the posts of president and European foreign affairs representative.

Asked about the possibility of a high-profile figure such as Mr Blair as president, Sir Stephen said: "[That] is not necessarily a very good idea." >>> Jane Merrick | Sunday, October 18, 2009

Leading Article: We Won't Get Fooled Again
THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY: Tony Blair has many fine qualities. He can be a brilliant advocate; and he has a gift – although he found its limit – for finding agreement among apparently incompatible interests. His supporters also put forward other qualifications for the post of President of the European Council: he has experience of working with European institutions; as Prime Minister he sought to engage Britain more constructively in the European Union – again within limits; and, whatever the critics might say, he is well known and respected among world leaders.

However, The Independent on Sunday cannot support his undeclared candidacy for the job that is now almost certain to be created. This is not simply a matter of his decision to join the American invasion of Iraq. That was an error of judgement, and an important one. It must count against him in consideration for any leadership position. But the Iraq war also undermines Mr Blair's claim to be a unifying force. The issue itself was divisive, pitting the governments of the European Union against each other. When the choice between Britain's relationship with America and its relationship with the rest of Europe became unfudgeable, Mr Blair chose America, which speaks volumes about his instincts.

Mr Blair rode roughshod over popular opinion across Europe, and misled people at home. He used information selectively to help persuade Cabinet and Parliament of the case for military action. As we say, he was a forceful advocate, sometimes stretching the facts to the utmost in order to make his case. His lawyerly persuasiveness may be useful in presenting Europe's case to the rest of the world, but it is not necessarily the ability that makes for the best chairman of summits of European leaders. As we report today, this is the view of none other than Sir Stephen Wall. ... >>> | Sunday, October 18, 2009

Tony Blair’s High Profile Hurting His Chances in Bid to Lead Europe
TIMES ONLINE: Tony Blair’s chances of becoming Europe’s first president have suffered a setback as his critics begin to build their case against him.

As more countries declare their hand on Mr Blair’s perceived suitability, a row is intensifying over exactly what job the former Prime Minister — or anybody else — will take up if and when the Lisbon treaty is ratified. Smaller countries led by Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands — the Benelux trio — want a narrow, chairman-style role for EU summits; Silvio Berlusconi and President Sarkozy believe that the president should become the grandiloquent face of Europe.

The Times, which contacted all 27 member states to gauge the strength of support for Mr Blair, found that he appears to be suffering from being the most prominent name linked to the new role, with his high profile deterring some EU members from picking him in case he ignores them and their interests.

One ally said: “Tony Blair has become both the benchmark and a target. But until he knows what the job involves he cannot make a decision about it.”

Poland is preparing to publish a paper calling for the role of president to be limited, The Times has learnt, echoing an earlier demand from the three Benelux countries, which was seen as an anti-Blair move. The Benelux countries want the new role of EU foreign minister to become the real global statesman.

In addition, this week the French President appeared to distance himself from Mr Blair when he acknowledged that several EU states wanted someone from a country that participated in the euro.

Only three EU leaders have come out publicly for Mr Blair: Mr Berlusconi, Brian Cowen of Ireland and Gordon Brown, who has said that he will support him if he decides to stand. At present Mr Blair is the international envoy to the Middle East and although his interest in the European post is widely known, it is understood that he is unlikely to want a purely Brussels-based bureaucratic job. >>> David Charter | Saturday, October 17, 2009

Stop Blair ! Petition against the nomination of Tony Blair as "President of the European Union" >>>

Opposition Grows to Tony Blair's Bid for E.U. President
TIME: Here's a riddle: What unites French Socialists and British Conservatives, brings feminists together with the editors of prurient tabloid newspapers and gives shared purpose to a clutch of small European countries and more than 37,000 signatories to an online petition? Answer: Tony Blair. Across Europe, natural adversaries and strange bedfellows are finding common purpose in their efforts to stop Britain's former Prime Minister from assuming the role popularly known as president of Europe.

When Ireland and Poland ratified the Lisbon Treaty earlier this month, that left only Czech President Vaclav Klaus holding out against the document that is designed to re-engineer the European Union's institutions to better match the realities of its expanded membership. Once Klaus signs the treaty — frantic efforts are afoot to try to persuade him to do so — the E.U. can start its highest-level executive-recruitment search to date. The treaty would create two top E.U. jobs: president of the European Council and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, effectively the E.U.'s foreign minister. Blair is seen as front runner for the presidency.

You might think Blair's international cachet would be cause for British hearts to swell with pride, but some of his most bitter opponents are homegrown. Opinion polls point to an expected Conservative victory in British parliamentary elections in May 2010, and the Tories will campaign on a Euroskeptic platform that has already seen them withdraw from the main Conservative grouping in the European Parliament to cobble together an anti-federalist alternative. They dislike the idea of a high-profile, high-powered E.U. president such as Blair, who would surely increase the influence of Brussels. But many Tories also feel personal animus toward the politician whose electoral success consigned them to the wilderness for so long. "Having President Blair would put us in a state of permanent warfare if we won the election. I cannot stress how serious this is," an unnamed Tory source recently told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper. >>> Catherine Mayer, London | Wednesday, October 15, 2009

I Will Not Sign Lisbon Treaty, Says Czech President
Vaclav Klaus: the last man holding out. Photo: Times Online
TIMES ONLINE: The President of the Czech Republic has no intention of signing the Lisbon treaty, a move that might allow David Cameron time to hold a British referendum on Europe.

President Klaus, the fiercely Eurosceptic Czech leader, is the last obstacle for the agreement after its ratification in the other 26 EU states but he has told supporters that he will never sign, The Times has learnt.

Asked during a walkabout on Sunday not to put his name to the treaty, Mr Klaus replied: “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

After a crisis Cabinet meeting yesterday, Jan Fischer, the Czech Prime Minister, avoided a direct confrontation with Mr Klaus, bowing to his demand to reopen negotiations with the EU on an eleventh-hour opt-out.

However, he called on the unpredictable President to guarantee his signature if EU leaders agreed to his conditions and if the Czech Constitutional Court raised no new objections.

Mr Klaus is demanding an opt-out for the Czech Republic that would prevent German families expelled after the Second World War from lodging property claims at the European Court of Justice.

He raised the stakes on Friday, putting a dampener on EU celebrations over the Irish referendum decision to back the treaty. The President argued that the charter could whip up an avalanche of property claims from German families expelled from Czech territory after the war. >>> David Charter, Europe Correspondent, in Prague | Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Tories Face Lisbon Referendum Turmoil as the Czechs Vow to Ratify EU Treaty by New Year
MAIL ONLINE: The Czech Republic will ratify the Lisbon Treaty before the New Year, the country's prime minister promised today.

In a move that could derail Conservative Party plans to hold a referendum on the EU agreement if they win power at the general election next spring, Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said the country will not derail the long-awaited reform treaty.

The Czech Constitutional Court is studying a complaint against the treaty and the Eurosceptic Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, has not yet signed it.

Lisbon cannot take effect unless all 27 EU countries ratify it. All but the Czech Republic and Poland have done so.

Mr Fischer was speaking after talks in Brussels in the wake of the Irish 'Yes' vote last weekend.

One man holds the key - eurosceptic Czech president Vaclav Klaus, whose signature is required to complete full ratification of the treaty.

He says he is waiting for the outcome of a treaty challenge lodged with the constitutional court by a group of Czech senators.

And Mr Fischer, who has little sway over his president, said procedures were being speeded up.

After a treaty meeting by video conference with European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso and European Parliament president Jerzy Buzek, he said: 'Everything is in place for the treaty to be ready and implemented by the end of this year. >>> | Wednesday, October 07, 2009

If Europe Does Get a President, It Definitely Won't Be Tony Blair
THE TELEGRAPH: Boris Johnson wagers – a fiver – that the former PM will not be granted his dream of ruling 500m people.

A spectre is haunting Europe, my friends. That spectre has a famously toothy grin and an eye of glistering sincerity and an almost diabolical gift of political self-reinvention. Barely two years after he stood down as prime minister, it seems that Tony Blair is about to thrust himself back into our lives. It turns out that he is not content merely to be in charge of brokering peace in the Middle East – which you would have thought was a full-time job for anyone. It isn't enough to potter around the world making speeches about climate change and Africa. He wants more, much more, than to consecrate his remaining days to the promotion of inter-faith dialogue and school sport.

With his colossal mortgages in Buckinghamshire and London's Connaught Square, you might have thought he needed to stick firmly on the after-dinner circuit. You might have thought that the Blair finances oblige him to keep making boss-eyed speeches to armies of tuxedoed Arizona neo-cons about the importance of the special relationship and beating up Saddam Hussein. Well, not any more, it seems. Blair has evidently piled up such a fortune that he is ready for one more big public job, and we now discover that his extinction as prime minister was only the prelude for his re-emergence – like some wizard in The Lord of the Rings – in a guise more powerful than we can possibly imagine.

He wants to be President of Europe. He wants to be the one-man incarnation of the wishes of 500 million people and 27 countries. He wants to be the answer to the decades old question originally posed by Henry Kissinger: "Who should the President of the United States ring if he wants to be put in urgent contact with Europe?" >>> Boris Johnson | Monday, October 05, 2009

Václav Klaus, the second President of the Czech Republic. Photo: Google Images
EU's Push for President Post Faces Hurdle: After Ireland's Approval of Lisbon Treaty, European Leaders Begin Effort to Win Over Adamantly Opposed Czech President
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: DUBLIN -- Backed by Ireland's resounding approval of a treaty designed to strengthen the European Union and give it a full-time president, leaders of the bloc said they would start a drive to remove the last remaining hurdle to the so-called Lisbon Treaty -- the refusal of Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign it.

Ireland's 67% to 33% vote for the treaty Friday was a huge turnaround, reversing Irish voters' veto last year. The change of heart appears to have been driven mainly by the dramatic collapse of Ireland's economy, which made voters less willing to risk weakening the bloc.

For EU leaders who have been struggling for nearly a decade to pass versions of the treaty, it was a huge relief. They hope the scale of the victory will help them to persuade Mr. Klaus, a committed euroskeptic who has refused to sign the Czech legislature's ratification of the treaty, to back down.

Swedish Prime Minster Fredrik Reinfeldt and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said over the weekend they would meet Wednesday with the Czech Republic's prime minister to add pressure on Mr. Klaus. Sweden, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, is also dispatching its European-affairs minister to Prague.

Mr. Barroso said he was also ready to accept names from the 27 EU countries of their representatives on the commission, the union's executive arm. Terms of the current commissioners end this month, and the process of replacing them had been delayed until the fate of the Lisbon Treaty became clear.

"We start already on Monday to start to push every head of state" to sign the treaty, said Guy Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and head of the European Parliament's liberal wing.

Ireland alone held a popular referendum on the treaty; the others ratified it through their parliaments. The process is now incomplete in two countries: Poland and the Czech Republic, which need their presidents' signatures.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski has said he would sign it as soon as Irish voters approved it, though his office gave no details on timing in a statement Sunday.

Mr. Klaus is another matter. The Czech president has never hidden his disdain for the EU, and he has a hero's status among treaty opponents across Europe. >>> Charles Forelle. Alistair MacDonald, Sean Carney and Malgorzata Halaba contributed to this article. | Monday, October 05, 2009

EU Ponders New President, Foreign Minister: After Ireland's Vote, Many See Top Post Going to Tony Blair
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: BRUSSELS -- The Irish answer to the Lisbon Treaty formally opens the gates to the politically charged business of choosing Europe's first-ever president and foreign minister of the assembly of the European Union's 27 member governments.

For weeks, pundits and politicians have been handicapping the field, with former British prime minister Tony Blair emerging as the man to beat, although his candidacy faces some high hurdles.

The Lisbon Treaty calls for the two new posts to be chosen by national leaders and confirmed by the European Parliament. Inevitably, their selection will be part of a continental horse-trading game involving other IOUs among nations, and plum positions in the European Commission, the EU's executive branch.

Mr. Blair could give Europe a famous face and a connection to elites everywhere. As a left-of-center politician from Northern Europe, he offers political and geographical balance to the EU commission president, José Manuel Barroso, a Portuguese conservative. Mr. Barroso, a consensus-builder who doesn't ruffle many feathers, was reappointed to a five-year term this summer.

France regards Mr. Blair as a candidate who has "all the credentials," said a spokesman for French President Nicolas Sarkozy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel endorses the notion of a powerful personality as president, says a person familiar with her thinking. However, Ms. Merkel is concerned that Mr. Blair might not be acceptable to the European Parliament, the person said.

Other factors could cripple Mr. Blair's candidacy, say government officials in several EU countries. Mr. Sarkozy and Ms. Merkel -- who have the greatest weight in the voting -- could decide they don't want the high-profile Briton overshadowing them. Mr. Blair is known in Brussels for propelling the Iraq war, which is still very unpopular in Europe. >>> John W. Miller. Quentin Fottrell and David Gauthier-Villars contributed to this article. | Monday, October 05, 2009

Irish Voters Reject EU Treaty
THE GUARDIAN: Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon treaty, the country's justice minister conceded today, in a move which throws the entire project of reshaping the EU into turmoil.

Monitors from the Fianna Fáil party at the main count in Dublin told the Guardian that so far the breakdown in votes showed a 52% to 48% majority for the no camp.

"It looks like this will be a no vote," the justice minister, Dermot Ahern, said. "At the end of the day, for a myriad of reasons, the people have spoken.

"We will have to wait and see what happens in the rest of the countries. Obviously if we are the only one to reject the treaty that will raise questions. We are in uncharted territories."

Unofficial early polls suggested voters in most constituencies voted against the Lisbon treaty, the state broadcaster RTE reported. Official results are expected later today.

The no vote was strong in many rural areas and in working-class urban areas, while middle-class areas appeared to be less supportive of the treaty than had been anticipated, RTE said.

Reuters reported that in Dublin, the no camp was ahead in five constituencies and behind in one, while three were evenly split. Irish Voters Reject EU Treaty >>> By Henry McDonald in Dublin, James Sturcke and agencies | June 13, 2008

REUTERS:
Ireland Rejects Treaty in Blow for EU >>> June 13, 2008

BBC:
Ireland Rejects EU Reform Treaty >>> | June 13, 2008

BBC:Arrogance Indeed! UK to Press Ahead with EU Treaty >>> | June 13, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback - UK)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback - UK)

The Deceit of the “Treaty of Lisbon”: “Too Chicken to Hold a Referendum”

Hat tip: Brussels Journal

Mark Alexander (Paperback)
Mark Alexander (Hardback)

Self-Satisfied Gordon Has Every Intention of Reneging on His Promise of a Referendum on the EU Constitution
DAILY MAIL: Gordon Brown is today poised to sign Britain up to the revived EU constitution, dismissing claims from David Cameron that if he breaks his pledge to hold a referendum "no one will trust him on anything else".

The Prime Minister is flying to Lisbon ready to accept the controversial new blueprint despite mounting protests at home.

Downing Street said it hoped the final text could be agreed by the end of the first day of a two-day summit of EU leaders, suggesting Mr Brown does not intend to raise any objections.

In the Commons, the Prime Minister again refused to give way to demands for a referendum, insisting the treaty was an 'amending' document and not a new constitution.

A series of other EU leaders have admitted the new document is almost identical to the 2005 constitution, on which Labour promised a referendum before it was rejected by voters in France and Holland.

It will still create an EU president, give the EU its own "legal personality" like that of a country, end Britain's right to veto EU policy in more than 40 areas, and strengthen EU courts. Gordon Brown is set to fly out for the great European Union cave in

Mark Alexander

EU Treaty “Substantially Equivalent” to EU Constitution
BBC: The EU treaty is "substantially equivalent" to the EU Constitution thrown out by Dutch and French voters in 2005, MPs have said.

The European scrutiny committee said it should be "made clear" the UK can keep opt-outs of parts of the document.

The Conservatives said the government was now "morally bound" to hold a referendum on the treaty, as had been promised on the Constitution.

But ministers say the two documents are "substantially" different.

The treaty incorporates some of the old EU Constitution, on which Labour had promised a referendum before it was scuppered by the Dutch and French votes.

The Conservatives argue it is as much as 90% the same. EU treaty 'same as Constitution' (more)

Mark Alexander

Sarkonomics & the Sleight of Hand
TIMESONLINE: President Sarkozy’s sleight of hand in removing one of the European Union’s key objectives almost slipped through the final meeting of the 27 nations’ top diplomats preparing for the Brussels summit.

The so-called sherpas took five hours on Tuesday night to go through the draft German proposals line by line. It was a Hungarian diplomat who saw that something was missing.

The failed EU constitution proposed that the EU shall have “an internal market where competition is free and undistorted”. The phrase was included to make free competition one of the objectives of the EU, upgrading its status from the Treaty of Rome, where it features as a sub-clause.

Minutes from Tuesday’s meeting seen by The Times show that, near the mid-point of the discussions, the Hungarians drew attention to the redrafted statement. It included commitment to the internal market but omitted the phrase “where competition is free and undistorted”. Sarkozy secretly tried to rewrite rules on Europe: Germans were persuaded to slant statement in favour of protectionism (more) By David Charter and Charles Bremner

Mark Alexander

The Astonishing Demands of Poland
TIMESONLINE: Desperate attempts to forge a deal on the future of Europe were overshadowed last night by an astonishing demand for the voting system to reflect Polish population losses caused by the Nazi invasion in 1939.

Polish leaders said the proposed EU voting formula, based on population, disadvantaged their country because it had still to recover from the millions lost during the Second World War.

The latest intervention from Poland, regarded with Britain as the main obstacle to a deal tonight in Brussels, was regarded as a move to add to pressure on Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, who is anxious to crown her country’s presidency of the EU with an agreement she can sell at home. Poles demand more EU votes to compensate for war deaths (more) By Philip Webster and David Charter in Brussels

SPIEGELONLINE INTERNATIONAL:
Poland Rejects Compromise Proposal By Severin Weiland

LE FIGARO:
Grand marchandage autour du "traité réformateur" européen Par Alexandrine Bouilhet

Mark Alexander

Give the People a Referendum! Let the People Decide!
BBC: European Union leaders are meeting in Brussels to debate a new treaty to improve how the 27-member bloc is run.

Germany, which holds the EU presidency, has called for a fair deal to replace a planned constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

But the summit is expected to be tense, with the UK and Poland both threatening to use their vetoes.

The UK opposes any growth of EU powers, while the Poles are resisting plans to reduce their voting rights.

The draft paper tabled by Germany makes several concessions to EU member states opposed to key parts of the failed constitution.

But both the British Prime Minister Tony Blair - attending his final EU meeting before leaving office next week - and his Polish counterpart have taken a hard line during the run-up to the summit. EU braced for treaty rows (more)

WATCH BBC VIDEO:
The British People Deserve Nothing Less Than a Referendum!

Mark Alexander

EU Constitution Dead in the Water
BBC: Germany has proposed to EU states that they should agree to drop the idea of a constitution when they meet at a summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.

The "constitutional concept... is abandoned", says a paper circulated by Germany, which will chair the summit.

The paper makes several concessions to EU member states opposed to key parts of the failed constitution.

But Poland and the UK are still warning they could use their vetoes if they do not get their way on a new treaty. EU to drop idea of constitution (more)

Mark Alexander

Let the People Decide!
TIMESONLINE: We must not be cheated of the promised vote on Europe

On Thursday, June 5, 1975, the United Kingdom held its only, referendum on Europe. This was to endorse the British membership of the European Community, which had already been ratified by Parliament in 1971; the treaty of accession had been signed on January 22, 1972.

The referendum put the question in this form: “Do you think that the United Kingdom should stay in the European Community (the common market)?” It has since been objected that this formulation was biased in two ways: by referring to “staying in”, it put the public preference for the status quo on the side of a “yes” vote; by referring to the “common market”, it implied that this was all that Britain was joining. The merger of the European institutions had taken place as far back as 1967. There has never been a referendum on joining the European Union. That body was created only in 1993, under the Maastricht treaty.

The result of the referendum in 1975 was decisive. England recorded a 68.7 per cent “yes” vote, on a 65 per cent turnout. Scotland had a 58.4 per cent “yes” vote; Wales 64.8 per cent. The only negative votes were in the Scottish fringes, with the Western Isles voting “no” by 70.5 per cent.

However, all this is a long time ago. The parents and grandparents of the present generation voted to stay in the common market 32 years ago; that does not tell us much about public attitudes to constitutional changes in the European Union in 2007. No one now aged less than 50 could have had a vote in 1975. Angela Merkel’s dream; Britain’s nightmare (more) By William Rees-Mogg

Mark Alexander

Merkel renews criticism of EU constitution's draft text for ignoring the importance of Christianity in Europe

Photo of Angela Merkel courtesy of Google Images

TURKISH DAILY NEWS: Germany's conservative Chancellor Angela Merkel, who launched plans last week to revive the European Union constitution as the now 27-nation bloc's term presidency, has renewed her criticism of the draft text for not referring to the importance of Christianity in Europe.

“I would have preferred a clearer acknowledgement of [Europe's] Christian roots,” Merkel was quoted on Saturday as saying in a preview of an interview with German Focus magazine. Merkel: EU charter should have more on Christianity

Mark Alexander