Bid To Lock Britain Into EU
by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels

Britain could be forced to stay in the European Union against the will of Parliament and the wishes of the British people, under proposals gathering support in Brussels.

The Convention on the Future of Europe, which is preparing a draft constitution for the EU, is examining a clause that would allow member states to block the secession of any country that wanted to leave.

Under the so-called "exit clause", the rebel state would have to secure the backing of three-quarters of the votes in the EU Council of Ministers, as well as two-thirds of the European Parliament, and ratification by the parliaments of every single country.

The mechanism would make it extremely hard for Britain ever to leave the EU by legal means.
The plans were presented by Andrew Duff, MEP, the chief draftsman of the European Liberals on the Convention and observers expect that a version of the "exit clause" will find its way into the final draft next summer.

Mr Duff said his proposal was intended to avoid the sort of confusion that led to the American Civil War. "We don't want to end up like the US when the South wanted to leave and the North had to fight to keep them in," he said. Daily Telegraph, 19th September 2002