Brussels Lashes Out at Giscard's
Blueprint For Europe
by David Howarth in Brussels

The attempt to draw up a new European Union constitution suffered a serious setback yesterday when Brussels rejected the blueprint drawn up by Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president.

The European Commission said plans by M Giscard's 105-member Convention on the Future of Europe failed to give any clear answer to the question of "who does what?"

Using language that in diplomatic terms was scathing, a commission statement said it was "disappointed" with the way the convention's proposals had been presented. It said they were "unlikely to foster the development of a consensus on these difficult institutional issues".

M Giscard's proposals, due to be presented to EU leaders in June, threaten to dilute the commission's power and its attack sets the stage for a brutal struggle before agreement is reached.

The plans currently include the appointment of a powerful EU president, with a deputy and executive office, to replace the current rotating presidency, which shifts between member states every six months. They also foresee the slimming-down of the commission, reducing its current 20 members to 13, and the creation of a seven-member "bureau" within the Council of Ministers to co-ordinate the EU's work.

"Duplication of bureaucracies goes against common sense and against indications coming from all sides," the commission added.

Opponents see the scheme as concentrating power among the EU's larger members. At present, the union has 15 members but is due to take in 10 more, most likely in eastern Europe, next year.

"This would undermine the checks and balances between the EU institutions," said a commission spokesman. "It could lead to unequal treatment of member states and this would jeopardise trust between them."

European leaders failed to agree at a summit in Athens last week whether the EU should have a permanent chairman or president.

Tony Blair is backing the creation of such a post, which is also supported by France and Spain. The smaller EU members are highly suspicious of the idea, as are the governments of the 10 incoming states.

A final version of the convention's reform document is expected in June. The draft European constitution will then be agreed by member governments, possibly before the end of the year. The convention has also proposed that EU foreign policy decisions should be taken by majority voting once the EU is enlarged next year. But Peter Hain, the Welsh Secretary and senior British representative on the convention, has already rejected that out of hand.
The Daily Telegraph, 24th April 2003

PHILLIP DAY COMMENT: Here we see more manoeuvrings to get Britain loosened up to the idea of being part of a European federal superstate. Do not be taken in by the apparent opposition to the federal flavour of the constitution. Vladimir Putin's Russia is extremely keen to be a part of the European Union, and we currently see Chirac, Shroeder and Putin very cosy with the idea of the new European Army, which, of course, undermines the US-sponsored NATO alliance that has successfully kept peace in Europe for the past 50 years.

So much of what we are seeing at the moment are nations jockeying for the best position in the New World Order of nations and superpowers. Certainly, European politicians are not hiding their anti-American bias at present. Could the ultimate line-up be a European superpower of undemocratic, unelectable and unsackable politicians challenging the United States as the new world power? And where will Britain feature in all of the above? Will she polarise with America or Europe? These and other fascinating angles are explored in my new book, Ten Minutes to Midnight.
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