European leaders sign landmark treaty

[Tender Branson]

By Tony Barber in Brussels

Published: December 13 2007 12:35 | Last updated: December 13 2007 15:54

European Union leaders on Thursday signed a treaty designed to strengthen the bloc’s institutions and put behind them the worst crisis in the 50-year history of European integration.

The leaders of all 27 EU member-states except Gordon Brown, Britain’s prime minister, put their names to the treaty at a ceremony in Lisbon’s Jerónimos monastery.

Mr Brown, who was attending a parliamentary hearing in London, flew to Lisbon later and signed the treaty on his own. His absence from the main signing ceremony however prompted charges from the opposition Conservative party that the prime minister’s ”gutlessness” was turning the event into a ”national embarrassment”.

William Hague, shadow foreign secretary, said: ”What will other EU leaders think of a prime minister who dithers for a week about whether he dares be photographed putting pen to paper?”

On Friday the leaders will gather in Brussels for a summit at which Mr Brown will secure support from his colleagues for a declaration that emphasises the EU’s commitment to competitiveness and an open economy in the age of globalisation.

France will win support for the creation of a “reflection group” of prominent experts, including politicians and businessmen, who will analyse what the EU should look like and should be doing by 2020-30.

A sense of relief has been palpable in all EU capitals since national leaders agreed the text of the Lisbon treaty at an October summit in the Portuguese capital.

All are keen to refocus the EU’s energies away from obscure debates over institutional reform and towards challenges that matter to European citizens such as jobs, economic growth, globalisation, security against crime and terrorism, immigration and climate change.

The EU was thrown into turmoil in 2005 when France and the Netherlands held referendums to approve a constitutional treaty that was the Lisbon treaty’s predecessor and the voters said ‘No’.

The Dutch and French rejections appeared to highlight everything that critics said was wrong with the EU at the time – an inflexible, over-bureaucratised organisation full of arrogant ambitions and convinced that it knew better than the bloc’s 495m people what was good for them.

EU leaders reacted by dropping the concept of a “constitution” from their treaty but keeping as much of the document’s detail as possible.

Most of the key changes to the EU’s institutions – the European Council, representing national governments, the European Commission and the European Parliament – remain in place in the new Lisbon treaty.

Like its forerunner, the treaty extends the use of qualified majority voting, notably in matters affecting justice and interior affairs. It keeps the new voting rules designed to smooth the EU decision-making process now that there are 27 member-states, up from 15 as in 2004.

The Lisbon treaty is an immensely complicated document with (in its English version) 175 pages of treaty text, 86 pages of protocols, a 25-page annexe and a 26-page final act containing 65 separate declarations.

Opt-outs, concessions and special provisions are scattered through the treaty, the most important of which allow the UK to keep its distance from anything smacking of far-reaching European integration.

As a result, the Lisbon treaty is a far cry from the US-style constitution that some strongly pro-integrationist European policymakers had in mind, when the project of setting down the EU’s values and procedures in a legally binding document was first aired in 2001.

The treaty still requires ratification from all member-states in order to come into effect in January 2009, but only the Irish Republic is constitutionally obliged to hold a referendum.

In other countries, parliaments will approve the treaty. In the UK, however, Mr Brown is under domestic pressure to allow a referendum – as Tony Blair, his predecessor, promised with the now defunct constitutional treaty.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c7888cca-a971-11dc-aa8b-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

[The Man From G.O.P.]

Congrats to Brown for another huge mess.

[afleitch]

Congrats to Brown for another huge mess.

No, you must remember Gordon is a 'conviction' politician. He doesn't shy away from the tough calls and the tricky photo ops. If he backs something controversial he sees it right through..in the spotlight...yes siree...

Now lets have a referendum.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Bit of a damned-if-he-did, damned-if-he-didn't situation; I think the wrong call was made but a) I would think that as I'm pro-Europe and don't care what headlines anti-European rags run and b) it isn't as though it matters anyway.
More important aspects to this than whether or not one P.M signed the treaty at the same time as others though. Less vetoes be good.

[Silent Hunter]

I'm all in favour of a unified Europe and I support this. Personally, though, I'd prefer it if the EU was completely reformed.

[Gustaf]

Typical undemocratic shenaningans from our beloved political leaders. Despite the constitutional treaty failing in referenda they're introducing it anyway (though under a different guise).

It really is the Brits turn to do one for the team and vote something down for the benefit of the rest of us. The EU is an example where do-nothing policies is actually the best we can hope for. The more bogged down it becomes the less meddling we get. Just recently the democratically elected government in Sweden had to withdraw a fairly important policy implementation and make a ridiculous arbitrary change to it because of EU interference.

[Speed of Sound]

An admirable move by the EU. I am very jealous of my friends across the Atlantic.

[Democratic Hawk]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

[Tender Branson]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

According to what I´ve read so far, only Ireland is holding a referendum. Allthough I think will be passed by the voters, I don´t think it will be by a big margin, probably by 55% of all voters. Portugal's prime minister will soon announce if his country will hold a referendum on the treaty or if the parliament will ratify it. Maybe Bono can tell us more about it. Austria will ratify the treaty via both chambers of parliament - the Nationalrat and the Bundesrat. It will pass easily with the votes of SPÖ-ÖVP and probably the Greens.

[Verily]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

Belgium: no government, and there's not likely to be one soon.

Actually, I have no idea whether that would be a barrier to legislative advancement though I would imagine so.

[dead0man]

Well this answers the age old question of what's easier to shove down somebody's throat:treaty or constitution?

Good luck.

[Hash]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

In France the UMP, NC, and MoDem are all quite certain to vote for it, and that's already a large majority. Most likely a majority of the PS will also vote for, only the PCF voting against.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Actually it's up to us to stop this from being implented.

So in short, we're doomed.

[Middle-aged Europe]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

Germany: No, the Left Party doesn't hold a majority in the Bundestag.

[Silent Hunter]

Where can I find a copy of this thing?

[Verily]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

In France the UMP, NC, and MoDem are all quite certain to vote for it, and that's already a large majority. Most likely a majority of the PS will also vote for, only the PCF voting against.

The PS were actually more strongly supportive of the earlier referendum than the UMP. They'll all vote for it. Some of the rightist allies of the UMP won't, though.

[Јas]

Where can I find a copy of this thing?

TREATY OF LISBON
AMENDING THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION AND THE TREATY
ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

[Hash]

Are there any EU member states where parliaments are unlikely to ratify the Reform Treaty?

Dave

In France the UMP, NC, and MoDem are all quite certain to vote for it, and that's already a large majority. Most likely a majority of the PS will also vote for, only the PCF voting against.

The PS were actually more strongly supportive of the earlier referendum than the UMP. They'll all vote for it. Some of the rightist allies of the UMP won't, though.

Actually no, there were a few anti-constitution forces in the party the largest being Laurent Fabius and his followers. IIRC Henri Emmanuelli, the douchebag Arnaud Montebourg, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and Manuel Valls were also against the treaty. 41.09% of the party voted against it in the internal election (41.89% of the Greenies were also against) when only 6.5% of the UMP was against it, IIRC mainly the kid Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and his DLR movement. The MPF's only MP will surely vote against it, as will the DLR (only dupont-aignan IIRC), and maybe a few DVDs and a few UMPs that migrated from the RPF or other anti-EU parties. In 2005 6 UMP deputies were against it.

[Silent Hunter]

Where can I find a copy of this thing?

TREATY OF LISBON
AMENDING THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION AND THE TREATY
ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

Thank you. Bit long, isn't it?

[Јas]

Where can I find a copy of this thing?

TREATY OF LISBON
AMENDING THE TREATY ON EUROPEAN UNION AND THE TREATY
ESTABLISHING THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY

Thank you. Bit long, isn't it?

Better put the kettle on then...

[Bono]

Actually it's up to us to stop this from being implented.

So in short, we're doomed.

Wasn't there a poll recently giving 75% to the No?

[Јas]

Actually it's up to us to stop this from being implented.

So in short, we're doomed.

Wasn't there a poll recently giving 75% to the No?

75%!! No. (To have 75% stating themselves against a European Treaty here would require some it to explicitly state something along the lines of: Ireland to pledge itself to European military alliance while being re-subsumed into Britain...or somesuch.)


The only poll on the matter to which I am aware:

As seems to be established at this stage Ireland will be the only EU state that will vote on the new (or not so new, depending on your perspective) EU Reform Treaty (because of our constitutional provisions as interpreted in Crotty v An Taoiseach).

The opinion poll cited in the previous page also questioned attitudes to the Reform Treaty. Sample 1000, MoE 3%. Pollster: tnsMRBI

In favour:	25%
Against:	12%
Don't Know/No Opinion:	62%

FTR, in the last poll re: the European Constitutional Treaty in March 2005, opinions were recorded as follows (Same pollster, sample and MoE as above):

In favour:	46%
Against:	12%
Don't Know/No Opinion:	42%

[Tetro Kornbluth]

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... and even then if it was claimed that such a move would benefit the Irish economy a level even just 50% NO would be infeasible.

(o\c he got the 75% from adding up the "Againsts" and the "Don't know's". If I was to take a guess at this point I would say any referendum would be closer than Nice II but have roughly the same turnout - though the NO vote might actually win a few constituencies this time it will stay 55-45 Yes or something similiar. Though apparently some business leaders are going to come out against the treaty. Which is unique to all other previous campaigns... now, if only we could somehow get Anthony Coughlan, Justin Barrett and Sinn Fein deported for the entire period of the campaign we might have a chance. Actually coming to think of it, scrap that whole sentence after the word "deported". )

[Ebowed]

What are the pro's and con's of this?

[Tender Branson]

If members of both chambers in Austria vote along party lines, the vote will likely be approved with the votes of the governing SPÖ-ÖVP coalition + the Greens, which would mean 85% of all representatives in the Nationalrat and 95% in the Bundesrat ...Only the 2 right wing parties, FPÖ and BZÖ are opposed. The treaty is very unpopular in Austria, more than 70% want a referendum on it. I think passing that contract + the recent passage of the "Austrian Patriot Act" and the upcoming Chad Mission will lead to an increase in the share of right wing votes in the next federal elections 2010, similar to 1999. I think 20% for FPÖ/BZÖ is possible ...