EU leaders reach treaty agreement
Saturday, 23 Jun 2007 20:43
Tony Blair and Angela Merkel at EU summit
Representatives of the 27 EU member states have secured agreement on a draft treaty for the union's future after averting a last-minute Polish-led crisis.
Having negotiated frantically into the early hours of the morning, leaders in Brussels emerged triumphant after the Poles threatened to veto the entire project.
Britain's four 'red lines' were accommodated successfully, with outgoing prime minister Tony Blair negotiating opt-outs for the charter on fundamental rights and securing independence on foreign policy and police and judicial co-operation.
That left Polish prime minister Lech Kaczynski posing the biggest threat to an agreement being reached. The Poles objected to the new 'double majority' voting system, in which agreement can only be reached when 55 per cent of member states totalling 65 per cent of the EU's population are in approval.
Mr Kaczynski was opposed to Germany's greater influence within the EU under the method and raised the spectre of German persecution during the second world war as justification for his position.
German chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, eventually persuaded Mr Kaczynski to accept a delayed implementation to the new voting system. This will be phased in over a three-year period beginning in 2014.
"If we had not achieved this today, we would have ended up in a rather disastrous situation because many would have felt they were pushed too far," Dr Merkel said.
A tired-looking Mr Blair said the agreement which had been reached meant the EU could now "move on to things that are ultimately far more important".
He added: "It gives us a chance to concentrate on the issues to do with the economy, organised crime, terrorism, immigration, defence, climate change, the environment, energy, the problems that really concern the citizens of Europe."
Portugese prime minister Jose Socrates, whose country takes over the EU's rotating presidency for the second half of 2007, said he would begin work on seeing the treaty implemented by the target date of mid-2009.
A full-time president will lead the council of ministers, while the size of the European Commission, the EU's civil service, will be reduced under the terms of the draft treaty.
The proposed post of EU foreign minister was downgraded to a high representative combining the responsibilities of foreign policy chief Javier Solana and external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
All references to the word constitution, which was rejected by French and Dutch voters two years ago, were removed from the treaty's language.