The EU Constitution has been saved...for the time being.
The constitution will give the bloc stronger leadership with a long-term president of the European Council and a foreign minister to represent it on the world stage, more powers for the European Parliament and more decisions taken by majority vote. Britain fought a successful rearguard battle to preserve national vetoes on key policy areas such as taxation, social security, foreign and defence policy and criminal law. France, Germany and the Netherlands found a last-minute compromise on how much-flouted EU budget deficit rules should be policed. But Poland and other Roman Catholic countries failed to secure a reference to Europe's Christian heritage. Simmering acrimony among the key players flared earlier when Prime Minister Tony Blair fired a broadside at the leaders of France and Germany, telling them they did not run Europe alone or with some inner circle. "We are operating in a Europe of 25...not six or two or one," Blair's official spokesman told reporters.So, basically Blaque Jacques got what he wanted as far as the Constitution is concerned. The primary concern of both France and Germany---whose economies are in the toilet right now---is for them to be able have their cake and eat it too. Heavy social spending means they're in hock. The single currency better known as the Euro could be dragged down by their borrowing. This relaxation of the policing rules means that France and Germany can allow their deficits to exceed 3% of their GDP and they won't have to pay any fines that the EU is supposed to levy in such a circumstance. But Blacque Jacques is having issues getting his way with the EU Presidency, which is still up for grabs:
Several delegations voiced anger at Chirac's insistence the successful contender should come from a country with long EU experience that was in all the main European policy initiatives, notably the euro single currency and Schengen open-border area. That would rule out anyone from Britain, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and the 10 mainly East European states which joined on May 1, reuniting Europe after its Cold War division.Let's see all of the countries that does include. Germany, Spain, Italy, Lichtenstein, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, and of course FRANCE! Jacques' and Gerhard's boy is Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt. He fits. Blair's boy is Chris Patten, who, if memory serves is a current EU Commissioner, and was previously the Governor of Hong Kong (and a rather brave one at that)back when it still belonged to the UK. But reportedly he doesn't speak French well enough for Blacque Jacques' taste. (And no, I'm not kidding.) Gah! I do believe if the monarchy was still around, Jacques would throw a coup, usurp the King and take over for himself. Then he wouldn't have to deal with any charges of corruption, there wouldn't be a parliament to give him grief and he could wage war whenever he damn well pleased. He could then rub his hands together, chuckle evilly, while staring at a map of Europe and saying,"Yes, Gerhard, you will be mine. I shall have you! And you will no longer swill Budweiser!" Yep. Blacque Jacques would have been a guy who would have thought it was good to be King. How much you wanna bet he'll bitch about democracy when a single country's referendum strikes this bloated mass of paperwork down? Posted by Kathy at June 1, 2004 10:13 PM | TrackBack