EU races the clock to avoid Rome treaty crisis
Pastor Dale Morgan
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Thursday June 21, 4:28 AM
*EU races the clock to avoid Rome treaty crisis*
European Union leaders prepared Wednesday for a key summit aimed at
agreeing a mandate for a new treaty of reform, with Polish and British
objections threatening to derail the talks.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel formally invited her fellow EU leaders
to the Brussels summit opening Thursday, with the message that "only
together will we succeed in resolving the issues before us."
"The European public now expects us to put the necessary reforms of the
union in hand. Following our consultations over the last few months the
time has now come to set out the roadmap for the impending reform of the
treaties," she added.
However the Polish position remains "unchanged, we have not seen any
accommodation," a spokesman for the German EU presidency said in Berlin.
Poland strongly objects to the voting system proposed by Germany which
will be discussed at the summit, aimed at working out the broad lines of
a new treaty to replace the constitution rejected by French and Dutch
voters in 2005.
Warsaw believes "double majority" voting, under which agreement by 55
percent of member states representing 65 percent of the EU population
would be required for new rules, would favour big states like Germany.
EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso held an hour-long telephone
conversation with Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski Wednesday
seeking a compromise.
"The veto remains highly likely," Kaczynski told Polish public
television, adding that it would be "suicide" to give in.
Both the prime minister and his identical twin brother, President Lech
Kaczynski, have claimed Poland is "willing to die" to defend its corner.
Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga however said Wednesday she was
"cautiously optimistic" a deal could be reached on the key issue of
voting rights.
Britain, the other major opponent to some of Merkel's suggestions, was
still talking tough Wednesday.
"If it comes down to deal or no deal at this European Council the UK
government is clear... no deal is better than buying any old pig in a
poke," Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair insists he will not cede national
control over foreign policy, the judicial and police system or tax and
social security rules, while refusing to give legal force to an EU
charter of fundamental rights.
However, off the record many diplomats were saying some kind of deal
could be reached, although the details remained unclear.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy meanwhile said Wednesday he was still
hopeful for a deal.
"We will try to find a compromise," Sarkozy said in a television
interview, adding: "I do not want to imagine that we will not find one."
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos also said he was sure
the EU states could reach agreement on a new treaty but said he was
"very worried" about British opposition to an EU-wide foreign policy.
Merkel has invested much political capital in pushing for agreement on a
new treaty, deemed necessary to drag the EU's institutions into the 21st
century and streamline the functioning of a Union which has expanded
from 15 to 27 nations since 2004.
Germany, which holds the EU presidency until the end of the month, on
Tuesday handed its EU partners a draft mandate for the intergovernmental
conference.
The draft scraps reference to the EU flag and anthem, items guaranteed
to raise the hackles of eurosceptics.
It also avoids some controversial terminology. The new "reform treaty"
would amend existing EU treaties rather than replace them. The word
"constitution" has been dropped.
Germany insists on an EU "foreign minister", but a new job title has to
be agreed. This is unlikely to satisfy Britain.
For Britain, which also opposes more qualified majority voting in
judicial matters, preferring instead unanimity decision-making, Germany
offered a clause for countries that choose not to participate.
The German draft also provides for national parliaments to be given up
to eight weeks to examine draft laws, satisfying a demand by the
Netherlands.
Any draft mandate for a treaty will then go to an intergovernmental
conference, which officials say is likely to start in July, for several
months of discussion.