Regards, Ivan
Posted on 06/22/2005 10:54:57 PM PDT by MadIvan
Still reeling from the collapse of its constitution, the EU's most senior Eurocrats yesterday promised to tour member states, including Britain, to ask citizens for their vision of its future.
Aides pledged that the 25-nation tour would not be complete without the commissioners involved meeting their fiercest critics face to face, including British Euro-sceptics.
The European tour will be led by Jose Manuel Barroso
The progress through national capitals will begin this autumn, and will be led by Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, and Margot Wallstrom, the vice-president for communications.
They will be accompanied by a shifting retinue of relevant commissioners - such as Peter Mandelson for the British leg of the tour.
The exercise to win hearts and minds will lead to the commissioners meeting national parliaments and members of "civil society", including unions, NGOs, groups of voters and young people.
Mrs Wallstrom, the Swedish commissioner in charge of selling the European project to voters, is something of a cult figure with British Euro-sceptics. Their comments dominate a feedback section for the "weblog" she contributes to her official commission internet home page.
But a spokesman for Mrs Wallstrom, said his boss had no fears about meeting British critics during the grand tour.
"She comes from a country where there's quite a vocal Eurosceptic discourse," he said. "It's very important not to make this tour too formal. We have to talk to all strands of opinion."
The grand tour's announcement followed last week's European Council summit, where leaders failed to agree the next EU budget and put the constitution in the deep freeze, following the No votes in France and Holland.
It also came a day before Tony Blair returns to Brussels, a week after mounting a bruising defence of the £3 billion British rebate. He is due to address the European Parliament this morning on his priorities once Britain takes over the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1.
Mr Blair faces more than two hours of lectures and advice from Euro-MPs.
Mr Barroso yesterday pressed Britain - as next holder of the presidency - to compromise on the budget rebate and reach an "urgent" agreement on an EU spending plan for 2007 to 2013.
Referring to Mr Blair's demands for reforms of EU agricultural spending, Mr Barroso said: "If the British think they are going to get their way entirely they are mistaken. If the French think they are going to get their way entirely, they are mistaken."
The Commission is pushing Britain to reach an early deal on a budget, in return for an agreement to revisit the whole question of agricultural subsidies in 2008.
However, Britain last week rejected the wording of an agreement to that effect, saying it was too easy for France to ignore.
In an ominous sign for Turkey, Mr Barroso singled out voters' concerns about possible Turkish entry to the EU, as requiring "frank discussion".
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
LOL!
The Eurocrats are on a "listening tour".
May it end much better than Hillary's did. ;o)
Road trip!
"to ask citizens for their vision of its future."
Window dressing by the elitists. They have had years to write a document expanding their powers and still don't understand that the sole purpose of a constitution is to limit centralized power.
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