EU leaders clinch reform treaty deal

[Cruise4]

EU leaders clinch reform treaty deal

June 23, 2007

EUROPEAN Union leaders have finally reached agreement on a detailed mandate for a new treaty to overhaul the 27-nation bloc after persuading Poland to end a stand-off that nearly torpedoed their summit.
The leaders endorsed a negotiating mandate and the convening of an Inter-Governmental Conference for a reform treaty to replace the EU constitution rejected in 2005 by French and Dutch voters.

The deal, reached at 4.30am local time after a marathon wrangle, could relaunch the political integration of Europe after two years of gloom and introspection.

"I will give you a good piece of news. We have just come to an agreement on a very precise mandate ... for a simplified treaty," French President Nicolas Sarkozy told journalists.

Leaders of several countries, including Mr Sarkozy, convinced Polish President Lech Kaczynski to accept a compromise on changes to the bloc's voting rights in a new treaty in exchange for a long delay in their introduction.

"They convinced him and there was a deal," Spain's Europe minister, Alberto Navarro said.

Chancellor Angela Merkel, chairing the summit at the end of Germany's presidency of the EU, had struggled to break Poland's opposition to the treaty which would cut Warsaw's voting power and give more say to big countries, especially Germany. Ms Merkel eventually threatened to launch treaty negotiations regardless of Warsaw's objections.
The treaty will preserve key features of the constitution such as the creation of a long-term president of the Union, a foreign policy chief with increased powers to represent the EU on the world stage, and a bigger say for the European and national parliaments.

Poland finally settled for a deal that put off introduction of the full application of the new decision-making procedure until 2017 along with other concessions proposed by Germany, diplomats said.

Warsaw was also offered pledges of solidarity by the rest of the bloc in the event of future energy crises, a big concern of Poland which is heavily dependent on imports from giant gas and oil exporter Russia, its neighbour and former communist master.

Sarkozy and the leaders of Spain, Lithuania and Luxembourg all helped mediate with Poland, partly to overcome the ruling Kaczynski twins' historical aversion to Germany, reflected in bitter remarks about Poles suffering during World War Two.

Britain had strong concerns about the treaty too but said it was confident the deal met all of its "red lines" on sensitive issues such as expanding EU powers over labour and justice.

London won a convoluted exemption from the application of a legally binding EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in Britain.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Tony Blair said the deal would not require Britain to hold a referendum on the treaty.
But after British and Polish objections were overcome, the leaders wrangled long into the night over reservations by nine other states, angered at concessions made to the more Eurosceptic nations.

Outgoing Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt, torpedoed by Britain in 2004 for the presidency of the European Commission, proved most resistant.

Several countries also objected to a clause on morality and family law, meant to appease Poland, which they argued undermined the EU's commitment to civil rights, diplomats said.

[karlos]

It is a disgusting stitch up.
I will hope that we do have a referendum and that we do not use Neil Kinnock's voting machines.
It was good how the polish guy said that the poles would have had more votes if so many had not been killed by the germans.

This is probably the last chance we have of anything like a democratic system in Britain as soon as we are consumed into a soviet socialist repubulic of europe everything will be finished
we must resist this march towards federalism with every breath in our body.

The left wingers only want europe because of the social chapter and rights such as right to strike. Labour has opted out of them. So the left should have no problem in joining with the majority of people in Britain and oposing Europe.

[rodin]

Here comes the USSW

[Cruise4]

Earlier on Friday, the EU had reached a broad agreement on creating a new, single post to run the bloc's foreign affairs.

The EU leaders agreed on the job title, role and powers of a high representative of the EU for foreign policy, defence and security.

The post will combine the jobs of Javier Solana, the foreign policy chief who does mostly crisis management, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, external relations commissioner who controls the executive European Commission's aid budget.

The new foreign policy chief would chair meetings of EU foreign ministers and head a combined external action service drawing on both national and EU diplomats, after Britain dropped its reservations on those points, the diplomats said.

Leaders hope the draft treaty will be agreed at an intergovernmental conference later in the year.

[Cruise4]

There are certainly some very very suspicious phrases here, not least "convoluted exemption". Analysis of the detail should prove interesting.

Stitch up is about right. If they try to drive this through without a referendum that should be the cue for Civil War in my opinion.

I believe they are seriously under-estimating the strength of feeling on this issue.

Our Government are a bunch of Traitors and this is Treason!

[rodin]

The government answers to freemasonry. and freemasonry answers to the globalists.

The globaiists are the same firm that brought you the USSR and are herding us into a USSW.

I am amazed how people still don't 'get it'. The evidence is overwhelming and everywhere

Controlled Government
Controlled Money
Controlled Media
Fake Wars
Fake Global Problems
Hidden Agendas

[Newspeak International]

Gary Bushell is talking about the con that is the European super state now
on TalkSport as refered to here:

http://www.nineeleven.co.uk/board/viewtopic.php?t=9929

[uselesseater]

Oh, Downing streets proven liars say theres no need for a referendum. Well I'm sure we all trust these murdering degenerated.

So Parliament will ratify the treaty? How do they know they will? That bunch of spineless retards probably will if my pathetic excuse for an MP is anything to go by.

What with this and the government telling us that they need to decide what we are allowed to read on the web I AM SPITTING BLOOD!

Of all the papers to comment on the treaty the only one which was supportive was the government funded Observer. ALL the others were negative to cautious.

It's about time we all got over our differences of phoney left and right and got the people together against the government. Exactly the way it should be!

[karlos]

I didnt realise that Tony Blair's brother works for the IMF
he is a QC barrister