Welsh funding fears over EU deal [summit failure]

BBC ^ | 6/18/2005 | Guto Thomas

[lainie]

Despite the fact that four other countries - the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain and Finland - also objected to the budget, the UK has borne the brunt of international criticism for the breakdown of the talks.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder criticised Britain and the Netherlands for being "inflexible", and for displaying "national egotism." He concluded that this is now one of the worst crises in the history of the European Union.

French President Chirac condemned the UK Government's insistence on defending the budget as being "pathetic" and "tragic", and claimed that this behaviour had clearly precipitated a "grave crisis."

The President of the European Union - Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Junker went further.

He told journalists that the combination of the rejection of the new European constitution by voters in France and the Netherlands, followed by this failure to agree on the budget, had created a "deep" and "profound" crisis.

Mr Junker said he was "saddened", "embarrassed" and "ashamed" by some of the positions taken by member states during negotiations.

[lainie]

The article is mostly about a discussion regarding how the poorest sections of Wales will now have to forego millions in European aid. But the best part is all the EU brokedown fingerpointing and whining & sniping.

[lainie]

"Giving up rebate is about fairness and solidarity" - Jacques Chirac

Scotsman article

The Prime Minister risked diplomatic isolation at the end of a day of accusation and counter-accusation during which the French president accused Britain of failing to show "solidarity" and "fairness" by insisting on keeping the £3 billion reduction in its EU membership fee.

The budget crisis, a result of forces unleashed in the death of the European constitution at the hands of French and Dutch voters, now threatens to run on for months.

British officials were unrepentant, also revealing Mr Blair had blocked a fresh request for the UK to increase its payments to the EU.

On the eve of the 190th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, Britain and France were once again pitted against one another in a struggle to determine which will shape the future of the continent.

And once again, Belgium provided the battlefield, this time the EU's drab concrete headquarters in Brussels.

[lilylangtree]

According to Tony Blair in today's paper when Jacky Chiracy was trying to lay the whole EU collapse on Britain (Ole Jacky, like US demoncRATS, tried to blame everyone else deflecting the focus away from the French voters failure to pass EU Constitution), there were four other countries besides Britain that couldn't reach agreement. Referencing Jacky Chiracy, Blair said: "I'm not prepared to have someone tell me there is only one view of what Europe is. Europe isn't owned by any of them; Europe is owned by all of us."

[lainie]

Good for him! Although, you know.. he signed on for this nonsense altogether so there's only so much sympathy. But he's right on this. More from the Scotsman:

Tony Blair last night tested Europe's fragile political unity to breaking point as he forced the collapse of talks on a new European Union budget, twice rejecting French-backed compromise deals.

As his personal battle with France's President Jacques Chirac reached a new level of bitterness, Mr Blair refused deals that would have eroded Britain's annual rebate from the EU budget because he was not given an accompanying guarantee that there would also be a fundamental overhaul of the EU's multi billion pound farm subsidy programme.

But Mr Blair was not alone - four other countries, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Finland, signalled that they also could not support what was offered.

"What has been proposed is a guaranteed change in our rebate without any guarantee of a change in the overall budget," Mr Blair's spokesman said last night. "That is unacceptable."

[ncountylee]

Two has beens (Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder)are joined by Jean-Claude Junker (a never been) with the aid of the BBC to blame the recently reelected British PM (Tony Blair).

What - no blame for Bush?

[lainie]

I'm sure they'll get around to it.

[Cicero]

It might make more sense for London to put more money directly into Wales, instead of channeling it through Brussells. That way the Eurocrats wouldn't get their usual hefty rakeoff.

[Canard]

"Good for him! Although, you know.. he signed on for this nonsense altogether so there's only so much sympathy"

Lots of things to blame Blair for, but this isn't one of them. All the major treaties of European integration were signed by Conservative Prime Ministers.