He cannot force his position (with the militarily weak and testoserone-challenged French state) alone, so he hides behind the Liederhosen of Germany to advance his will.
Posted on 12/13/2003 4:53:33 PM PST by Pikamax
Chirac blames Blair as EU constitution talks collapse By Colin Brown and Francis Elliott in Brussels (Filed: 14/12/2003)
The European Summit in Brussels collapsed in failure yesterday after talks on a new EU constitution reached deadlock over the voting rights of smaller countries.
Tony Blair speaks during a press conference in Brussels Tony Blair insisted, however, that the humiliating inability of heads of government to get beyond the first items on the summit agenda did not spell doom for the constitution. "We have got to find a way through. We have got the time to do it," he said.
The meeting failed to resolve a highly technical dispute between Germany and Poland over the voting rights of less populous countries.
In private, Jacques Chirac, the French president, blamed Britain for not supporting the Franco-German position. Publicly, he indicated that a hard core or "pioneer group" of states would push ahead with European integration regardless of how the new members of the EU behaved.
"It will give an engine, it sets the example," said Mr Chirac. "I think it will allow Europe to go quicker, further, and to work better."
His announcement, agreed with Gerhard Schroder, the German chancellor, will alarm Mr Blair, who has long feared that Britain - still outside the euro - will suffer economically and politically if a "two-tier" structure becomes formal in Europe.
Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, said that he opposed the Chirac proposal. "I am not in favour of an initiative by the six founding members. I don't believe it is appropriate to form groups of countries. It is important for all countries to work collectively and on an equal footing."
Mr Berlusconi did little to disguise his bitterness that Italy's presidency of the EU had ended so ignominiously.
The new constitution was intended to streamline decision-making within the EU to avoid bureaucratic and political gridlock when 10 more countries join next May. Its provisions, drawn up over two years of wrangling, allow for more majority voting and cover areas of policy including immigration, taxation, defence, foreign affairs and social issues.
It is understood that Mr Blair believes rapid progress on the constitution, which was drafted by Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president, is essential if Britain is not to be left behind.
Some of Mr Blair's most senior Cabinet colleagues last night urged him to shelve the plans until after the general election. One told the Telegraph: "A compromise would have been a compromise too far for the British electorate." Another said that Mr Blair had become too "evangelical" about the constitution.
Gordon Brown, Jack Straw and David Blunkett were said to be relieved that Britain's "red lines" against harmonisation of taxation, justice, defence and social security were not breached. However, so little of the summit's agenda was properly debated that ministers regard this as a reprieve rather than a victory.
Mr Berlusconi called a halt to the marathon talks after Poland and Spain refused to back down over plans to overturn the voting system agreed at Nice three years ago.
Gisela Stuart, the pro-EU former minister who represented Britain on the drafting team for the constitution, has since been strongly critical of the draft. She said that France and Germany would have to accept the case for equal voting rights for Poland and Spain.
"We tried to reach a messy compromise and that didn't work," she said. "It tells you that something fundamental is going on. We should not try to sweep that under the carpet."
The Conservatives claimed that the debacle showed the ambitions of the constitution drafters had always been federalist - in spite of Mr Blair's denials.
Michael Ancram, the shadow Foreign Secretary, said: "The Government always claimed this was not an integrationist document, but just listen to the squeals now from the French, Germans and the Belgians. It completely destroys the pretence and shows that this was an attempt at further integration."
Mr Blair, who will make a statement to the Commons tomorrow, said: "To look at this in apocalyptic terms is rather misguided. It's a perfectly understandable disagreement that has arisen.
"Even if we had reached agreement today on a new system of voting it would not have taken the place of the voting arrangements agreed at Nice until 2009, which is rather a long time away. It's not an impossible mountain to climb."
Mr Blair said that it was important to "bank" the points which had effectively been agreed in Brussels this weekend.
These include an agreement in principle for a new defence unit to be established under the EU's flag, providing it does not compete with Nato. US alarm at the proposal was partially assuaged by guarantees about its operations.
Although the defence deal fell with the rest of the constitution, Britain, France and Germany are likely to revive it.
You just can't make this stuff up.
longjack
He cannot force his position (with the militarily weak and testoserone-challenged French state) alone, so he hides behind the Liederhosen of Germany to advance his will.
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