Posted on 01/23/2012 4:33:43 PM PST by Olog-hai
The latest draft of the fiscal compact to be discussed today (23 January) and tomorrow by European finance ministers increases the isolation of Britain by excluding London from taking part in euro summits and rejecting the UK’s objections over the new role of the Court of Justice.
After the first agreement on the fiscal compact, EU diplomats scrambled for weeks over the issue of the participation of member states to the newly institutionalised euro summits, which the new treaty says will be held “at least twice a year”.
The most radical option on the table was to exclude non-eurozone members from the summits. A milder possibility discussed by diplomats was to include non-eurozone countries as observers.
“I have nothing against giving the status of observers to non-eurozone members,” a senior diplomat said recently.
The deal reached on Thursday evening (19 January) and outlined in the latest draft says that non-eurozone countries will be invited “when appropriate and at least once a year” to euro summits. In other words, countries like Poland or Sweden will have the right to participate at least to half the summits held in a year, and potentially to all of them.
However, an important clause is attached to this provision. Only countries that “have ratified this treaty” will be able to claim their right to participate to euro summits, reads the latest draft of the fiscal compact. In other words: No ratification, no participation. Britain, which is still the only country to oppose the new treaty, will likely face deepening isolation. …
(Excerpt) Read more at euractiv.com ...
Just who is isolating themselves from whom? The United Kingdom would do well to steer clear of the mess that the European continent has become. The separation provided by the English Channel, in both a literal and a figurative sense, has served the island nation well for more than a millennium.
I agree with that!
Its a shame Ireland can’t forget grievances and had to join the EU.
Personally, I would prefer to be isolated from the disaster that is Europe.
Splendid isolation is splendid.
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