Hoon: parts of EU Constitution could be brought back without referendum
05 March 2007
Geoff Hoon was interviewed on the EU Constitution on the Sunday Edition yesterday. He argued that the EU should drop the name “Constitution” for its new treaty and signalled that the Government would only hold a referendum if it comes back in its current form. He said, “It seems to me much better, instead of talking about details of alleged Constitutions, that we actually concentrate on what the European Union does for its citizens and make sure that that is the debate that we have.” He argued that the EU already had a Constitution – its treaties and laws from the last 50 years. He said, “The question is whether they should be encapsulated in a single document, a single piece of paper that is referred to as a Constitution. I think very many people, even in countries that have ratified the existing treaty, believe that perhaps the use of the word 'Constitution' wasn't the most sensible decision". Hoon said the Government would honour its promise to hold a referendum on a treaty - but only if the Constitution was agreed in its present form: "We've made it clear that if the constitutional treaty comes back in its present form then there would be a referendum," he said.
William Hague wrote in the Sunday Express that EU politicians must stop ignoring the will of the people and not push the EU Constitution through the back door. He said that the “proposals in the document [the Constitution] would do real damage to
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Euro army ambitions damage NATO
The Sunday Express reported on how certain EU countries are not sending troops to the frontline in
Meanwhile in a speech on defence on Saturday French presidential hopeful Ségolène Royal said European defence has been “stalled for the last five years” and must be re-launched. She said there was an “absolute necessity” for a sustained effort “in the field of research and the convergence of policies on equipment acquisitions.” Le Figaro writes that in an attack on Nicolas Sarkozy’s perceived Antlanticism she said she did not advocate “following in the steps of the American administration” and that she would fight against NATO acquiring the role of “gendarme of the world, substituting the UN.” Sarkozy is due to outline his proposals on defence on Wednesday.
Cameron to signal new Conservative drive for EU reform
David Cameron’s speech to the Movement for European Reform’s first conference tomorrow is trailed in several
Cameron will say, “We want to work together with the peoples and parties of
Chirac attacks Mandelson’s performance at the WTO
Jacques Chirac has criticised EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson for making too many concessions to developing countries in the world trade talks. Chirac said that Mandelson "keeps wanting to give more even though the Americans have not shown any intention of making the slightest concession on farm products”. He is quoted in Le Figaro saying he is “deeply shocked by some of the attitudes taken by Peter Mandelson”. Chirac has stated that
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BBC gives advice on how to ‘sex up’ the EU elections
According to the Sunday Telegraph the BBC is giving advice to MEPs in an attempt to make the European Parliament elections more “viewer friendly”. The BBC has called for the use of more ‘visual aids’ and higher profile politicians on election night. The BBC is also among 26 channels to agree to broadcast live the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Treaty of Rome in
Commissioner: French voters have “done a Zidane” to the EU and need to stop whingeing
According to the FT, Jacques Barrot,
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Times:
A leader in Saturday’s Times warned Tony Blair that he should look carefully at the “fine print” in the Berlin Declaration before signing it. It predicted: “The festivities will be lavish, and the wrangling over what the anniversary really means will itself be the fireworks display. In the EU, symbolic occasions have a way of generating expansionist ambitions that become policy... It is already clear that this could be much more than a simple declaration. Many countries would like it to be a philosophical “road map” that will set the continent firmly back on course towards a Social Europe and a detailed constitution.”
French election: Bayrou closing gap with Royal
Several of the Sunday newspapers looked at the upcoming French presidential elections, with the Observer looking at the ‘Bayrou phenomenon’. According to a new poll for Le Figaro, UDF candidate François Bayrou has gained 6.5 points in the last fortnight – doubling his popularity to 18.5% over the last two months to move into third place ahead of Jean-Marie Le Pen and only 7 percentage points behind Ségolène Royal. Nicolas Sarkozy remains the favourite with 31% while Royal is on 25.5%. The poll showed that Sarkozy would win the second round with 54% of votes.
In the Sunday Telegraph William Langley argued that Ségolène Royal is “living proof of the argument that
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Booker: EU waste policy creating “national scandal”
Christopher Booker writes in the Sunday Telegraph on how local councils are implementing a policy of collecting “green waste” to comply with EU waste policy. EU waste policy is designed to phase out the use of landfill sites by fining local councils who fail to recycle enough waste. Booker notes that in fact much of the so called “green waste” is being sent to landfill sites therefore making a mockery of EU anti-landfill rules. The only positive outcome of this is the fact that councils will not be fined.
EU-India trade pact could stumble on “human rights and democracy” clause
The FT reports that a proposed EU-India free trade agreement (FTA) could be hindered by the inclusion of a standard clause on “human rights and democracy” in the pact. "This clause would, of course, be a deal-breaker," Kamal
Norwegian daily Dagen reports that a recent opinion poll shows that Norwegians are becoming increasingly sceptical about the EU, with 51% opposing EU membership, compared to 37.6% in favour.
The Reform Party has claimed victory in the Estonian parliamentary election, after narrowly beating its ruling partner the Centre Party. The Reform Party received 27.8 of the votes, up 10 percent from the last election.
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FT: EU should reverse ban on snus to combat smoking
John Gapper, writing in the FT, argues that the EU should reverse its ban on snus, a form of oral tobacco commonly used in Sweden (which has an opt-out from the EU ban), as this country has enjoyed huge success in reducing levels of smoking – which is a far more harmful form of tobacco use.
Barroso: EU takes inspiration from
In an interview with Saturday’s Times Jose Barroso claimed that “The Europe of the 21st century takes its inspiration in many ways from
EU and US negotiators have agreed a “memorandum of understanding” on the open skies negotiations which could see BA’s stranglehold over transatlantic flights from Heathrow broken.
EU-Microsoft dispute exposes flaws of EU competition policy
The WSJ writes in an opinion piece that the EU’s anti-trust office is flawed, stating that the EU is “punishing Microsoft for not meeting a standard that was never specified”. The WSJ also claims that as well as acting as “prosecuter, judge, jury and executioner in anti-trust cases” the EU is now claiming the power to “assess the worth of patents”.
EUobserver reports that Turkish Economy Minister Ali Babacan has announced that
World
The Sun reports that “British troops in
According to the Guardian
The FT argues that while Iranian President Ahmadinejad may continue to enjoy his “man of the people” image, there are stirrings of discontent amongst the country’s elite as a result of the leadership’s aggressive foreign policy.
UKIP problems mount
Both the Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph reported on the increasing problems for UKIP. The Sunday Telegraph revealed that a senior UKIP official made a donation to American Friends of BNP while living in the