EU opts for treaty over constitution
PARIS – A squabbling European Union has given up hope for a constitution, agreeing instead Saturday to peddle a watered-down treaty to its 27 capitals in hopes of ending a two-year stalemate that has hobbled one of the world’s most potent economic and diplomatic blocs.
“We have avoided a crisis,” European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in an interview to be published today in the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. “Uncertainty about our future treaty has cast a shadow of doubt over our ability to act. Now those doubts have been removed.”
Even so, the details of the treaty must still be negotiated and the final document ratified by all 27 EU members to become effective. EU leaders set a goal of 2009 for winning approval of the treaty.
The lack of a constitution – a proposed charter was defeated by French and Dutch voters two years ago – has been a legal hurdle as well as a psychological impediment to EU efforts to move forward with a unified voice. The failure of the countries to agree on a basic unifying structure underscored public perception of the body as an unwieldy, bureaucratic entity run by leaders far removed from the European people.
“I don’t think there is anything that can derail the process now,” British Prime Minister Tony Blair said after a deal was announced at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. “The most important thing here is that the constitutional treaty was put to one side. This deal gives us a chance to move on.”
The late-night marathon meetings of the past two days in Brussels covered issues ranging from the weight of each country’s voting rights within the bloc to what to call – or not call – its foreign minister.
The document strips out some of the symbolism in the original treaty that had offended many countries, such as an EU anthem. It also eliminates some references to international trade rights that protectionist-oriented countries, such as France, had opposed.
The document will set out rules for the future enlargement of the European Union, another contentious issue, and will attempt to streamline the bloc’s governing bureaucracy.