Barroso hails the Eu's New Roman 'empire'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Barroso hails the Eu's New Roman 'empire'*
By Bruno Waterfield in Strasbourg
Last Updated: 2:09am BST 11/07/2007
Gordon Brown was under renewed pressure to hold a referendum last night
after José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission,
hailed the European Union as a reborn Roman "empire".
José Manuel Barroso hails the European 'empire'
José Manuel Barroso: 'What we have
is the first non-imperial empire'
The comments from the most senior EC official in Brussels will infuriate
the Prime Minister as he tries to fight off growing demands for a
referendum by denying a planned new EU Rome treaty has constitutional
implications.
"We are a very special construction unique in the history of mankind,"
said Mr Barroso yesterday. "Sometimes I like to compare the EU as a
creation to the organisation of a Revived Roman empire. We have the
dimension of empire."
The commission president made his remarks on Europe's historical mission
while celebrating "real progress" on a new EU treaty deal to replace the
constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters two years ago. Mark
Francois, Conservative shadow minister for Europe, believes the
"startling" statement of intent will increase pressure on Mr Brown to
grant Britain a vote on Europe.
"The British public will be genuinely surprised to hear the suggestion
that we are now part of an EU empire," he said.
"Anyone who thinks that we have been exaggerating in calling for a
referendum on a revived constitution only has to look at what Mr Barroso
has said to realise the scale of what is now being contemplated."
Mr Barroso, Portugal's former centre-Right prime minister and a student
radical in the 1960s, tried to argue that unlike the old "Roman" empires
the EU was based on a voluntary surrender of sovereignty, not military
conquest.
"What we have is the first non-imperial empire," he said.
"We have 27 countries that fully decided to work together and to pool
their sovereignty. I believe it is a great construction and we should be
proud of it."
The commission president warned Mr Brown that he was "honour bound" by
the detailed mandate and outline for a new EU treaty signed by Tony
Blair at a Brussels summit on June 23.
"There is a principle of good faith. For me it as important as any legal
commitment," he said. "It is inconceivable that an agreement that was
agreed unanimously in June is reopened now."
In an attempt to limit the damage, Mr Barroso's spokesman said: "No one
needs to have imperial nightmares tonight. President Barroso, at his
press conference on the new EU Reformed Rome Treaty, referred to a quote
by the philosopher Peter Sloterdijk to emphasise that the EU is anything
but a superstate.
"EU member states came together peacefully, democratically and
voluntarily - the president would not want it any other way."