from
EU clears hurdle to Lisbon treaty
EU leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed a deal designed to win Czech backing of the Lisbon Treaty, clearing a major hurdle to its ratification.
The Czechs were granted an opt-out from the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, similar to that of the UK and Poland.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus was satisfied with the concession, Czech PM Jan Fischer told reporters in Brussels.
But EU leaders failed to agree on funding for a climate change pact to help developing nations.
Ratification deal
“The road to ratification stands open,” said Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
Gavin Hewitt, BBC Europe editor
The Czech Republic is the only one of the 27 EU nations which has not ratified the treaty, which aims to streamline how the bloc operates.
The BBC’s Oana Lungescu in Brussels said Mr Klaus – an ardent Eurosceptic – had feared that without the opt-out, the charter would allow thousands of ethnic Germans who were expelled from Czechoslovakia after World War II to reclaim their lands.
“Vaclav Klaus was content with the text. He has been informed about all modifications… and does not have a problem with it,” PM Fischer said after EU leaders agreed on the text at a summit.
But the opt-out is not the final hurdle to Prague’s ratification. The Czech Constitutional Court is expected to rule next week on whether the treaty complies with the country’s constitution.
But EU leaders are now free to discuss who will fill the post of president of the European Council, which the Lisbon Treaty will create.
Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude Juncker have been touted as the leading candidates for the job.
On Thursday, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reiterated his support for Mr Blair, saying he would make an “excellent” first president of the European Union.
Climate woes
On climate change, the EU failed to reach a united position ahead of December’s United Nations Copenhagen summit, which aims to hammer out a new global climate treaty to replace the UN Kyoto Protocol.
read complete Story Here
In poll after poll some 55 to 80 percent of British people want out of the EU.
This is why ‘our’ government(s) will not give us a say. but will lie to get into ‘power’
And Anna, what the people of my country may or may not have done in the past has nothing to do with people alive now, and it is a mistake to put ‘modern political correctness’ retrospectively onto people of past times.
Lesson: never cooperate, never collaborate, never compromise.
Collaborators always learn too late.
http://synonblog.dailymail.co.uk/2009/10/lesson-never-cooperate-never-collaborate-never-compromise.html
“EU push for climate funding deal”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8334176.stm
Britains skint, as chancellor Gordon Brown BLEW THE LOT
DaveF (09:46:00) :
(1) Have you been to Scotland?
Yes, if Glasgow is in Scotland.
(2) So forcing people into a union for so long that they give up is OK, is it?
It is an observation that time smooths things.
The EU is not compulsory, countries are not forced. If you cannot control your government that is your problem, not an EU problem.
Stargazer (10:18:30) :
In poll after poll some 55 to 80 percent of British people want out of the EU.
This is why ‘our’ government(s) will not give us a say. but will lie to get into ‘power’
Well, get involved in the politics and get a party that expresses that 55 to 80% and you can get out.
And Anna, what the people of my country may or may not have done in the past has nothing to do with people alive now, and it is a mistake to put ‘modern political correctness’ retrospectively onto people of past times.
You are applying the proverb : him whom the cap fits …
I just used historical precedents that show how in the end people are resigned to their fate anyway. I could have used others from Greek history, where the famous classical Athens depended on tribute from other city states forced into submission, or the Byzantine empire ruling over many nations, if it will make you feel better. All of us have an imperial history if we look far enough, and history shows that quite often, and particularly if language and culture are common, nations become regions of a bigger nation.
In the case of the EU the process is voluntary, which I consider progress.
Lovely EU. Our well-being is their only concern.
Democracy is an illusion in the modern world. Southpark said it best “…the choice between a douche and a snip sandwich…”
On the 30th of December 2009 in the UK a EU directive comes into force and (I cannot believe I am writing this) “Whatever is not specifically allowed by legislation becomes automatically illegal” in so many words.
Almost a thousand years of the exact opposite being held in the highest regard will be cast away and the public don’t even know it is going to happen because even when the Codex was being set up there was not a single UK “news” source that would conform to articles 1 and 2, amongst others, of this:
http://media.gn.apc.org/nujcode.html
Codex Alimantarius. Nutrients declared as toxins. Fait Accompli. And you all thought the UN was just warped about climate.
Freedom is precious and it is worth fighting over. Can we trust our freedom, for example even here in NZ, to our politicians. Answer NO!
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
I voted for National. But what has National now done? The have over-ridden the overwhelming consensus of the people in the ant-smacking Bill. They have teamed up with labour to pass the ant-smacking bill. We can vote them out – sure. But that takes 4 years and who do we chose in their place. The system is not fool-proof. Also we have unelected MP’s who are chosen by the people we elect. Not perfect by any means.
When we have unelected officials deciding our future. What taxes we pay or what our laws are – then we are in serious trouble. Our freedom is in peril.
And our freedom is worth fighting for. It is always hard won and always in peril.
“They have teamed up with labour to pass the ant-smacking bill.” Correction “They have teamed up with labour to pass the cao n trade bill.”
Returning to the UK after several years living overseas I notice:
* Constant government nagging about recycling, plastic bags, smoking, and especially global warming.
* Propaganda about global warming has reached the level of brain-washing – especially in schools. Children are no longer taught how to think – they learn what to think.
* An assumption that everyone is a paedophile. You now need a permit to help with school trips or be a scoutmaster or music teacher or sports coach or similar.
The country is seriously screwed.
“Well, get involved in the politics and get a party that expresses that 55 to 80% and you can get out”.
I am. The party is called UKIP. (the United Kingdom Independence Party) http://www.ukip.org/
“You are applying the proverb : him whom the cap fits” … No. No I am not!
And we in the UK are not ‘resigned to our fate’.
I am sure you are correct when you say “The moral would be that with enough time passing nor will the countries in the EU have large factions wanting to secede from it”.
I can well believe this of Europe though,
The UK have never seen ourselves as ‘European’.
Europe was/is something across the English channel.
Its been 35 years now since we were ‘taken in’ against ‘our will’… and we still want out.
Read the EU Council Conclusions on Climate change !
http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/110889.pdf
Not so strong …
The Eu is a union by consensus? Not even, if the posts to this blog from Europeans are indicative. Wonder if everyone can agree on the definition of “consensus”? Some references say that consensus is a majority of opinion while others say totality of opinion. In the US of 50 years ago, consensus was totality.
That definition, like the definition of Constitutional law has suffered the onslaught of sophistry and is now sufficiently mushy that any moronic law school graduate can find a way to make a living.
To return to the idea of EU consensus; how is the concept of a unified Europe any closer to realization now than it was in 1914? It is very clear that nasty nationalism lives in the breasts of the citizens of every country in Europe. I’m pretty familiar with the denizens of the UK and there is no more jingoistic bunch on this planet. God bless ’em every one.
I have worked in international scientific decision making committees and consensus meant “nobody is making a big negative noise”. Not “everybody is happy with it”.
Diplomacy and sociology are not exact sciences.
Dear friends in the U.S
Nobody is deeper concerned about the EU`s obvious deficit in democratic legitimation of their instruments than many EU citizens themselves. But the building of the EU is a historic process that has just started and will probably last for some generations. It is a miracle nobody could have hoped for some 70 years ago. France and Germany for example, enemies of death for centuries are now the closest allies. My country, Germany that only 30 years ago seemed to be doomed to be the battlefield of an atomic war ( like Lubo`s country) is now surrounded by friends. Other countries,from Europe and elsewhere want to join the EU quicker than we can deal with their wishes. So this process is about peace, about freedom,about good neighbourhood also with other cultures and religions. The global warming hysteria will cease. It`s not a key question of the EU. But as many of you are so concerned of financial questions: just try to imagine what would have happened to the world economy without close cooperation of the European leaders and without a European currency.
Anna v 12:36:49:
You seem to have misunderstood me. My point was that if you had been to Scotland you might have noticed that the largest party in the Scottish Parliament is the Scottish Nationalist party, whose leader is the Scottish First Minister. Those wanting independence in Scotland are not in the majority but it would be quite wrong to say that there is no significant faction for it.
I didn’t say that the EU forced Britain to join – I was answering the general point about countries becoming part of larger countries for so long that they lose their own sense of independence. The Roman Empire conquered other countries for so long that they became Romanised, but that doesn’t justify the original conquest.
You’re quite right, of course, that we have to get a Government that represents our views, not one that shamelessly lies to us, but so far we’ve found that pretty hard to do; the latest example being the solemn promise of a referendum on the European Constitution followed by the pretence that the Lisbon Treaty was not the same thing, so no referendum. A lot of us feel we’ve been experiencing the slowest Coup d’Etat in history. But we’re not Anti-Europe – we just don’t want to live in your house.
@anna v
You’re right about “nobody is making a big negative noise” but complete by ” with the view to block the process and to be shown as the bad, who refuse the common position”.
@Rheinhard
Yes, the process is an ongoing process for a very long time. Building EU is difficult because the main question underlined the european discussions is the sharing of sovereignty between EU level and national level.
Climate change policy is a way to display consensus but the Council declaration is weak about EU financing on climate change : the eastern countries refuse to pay (we can understand why) and I’m not sure that even France and Germany, even Italy or Spain are so easy with their own national budgets for the next years… Developping countries are waiting for money.
The other crucial question “what to do with the to many Kyoto credits detained by Russia and other ?
To all EU sceptics here – I find it very interesting that the British here complain the most about the EU while people from the biggest net contributors in the EU – France and Germany are still quite supportive?
Another funny thing is to talk that the EU is hindering Irelands economy – a small example: without the EU all of the Ireland’s banks would be smoking ruins today and the country would be bankrupt.
As per EU and AGW – lets hope the common sense to prevail …
cheers,
Plamen
Perhaps it would be better if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified before the Tories get in and Mr Blair does become EU President, because it might push the Conservatives to hold a referendum on Britain’s continued mebership altogether!