© 2008 Dr. Rath Health Foundation
The European Referendum Initiative is a campaign for citizens to have the right to vote in a referendum whenever significant changes to laws affecting them are made at either national or European level.
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On November 13, 2007, more than 30 survivors of the extermination camp Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps met in Auschwitz for a one-day conference.
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This campaign aims to guarantee free access to scientifically based natural health remedies for all European Union citizens.
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October 7, 2008
EU elections could be pan-European by 2014
Citizens in one member state could be allowed to vote for a candidate in another country in European elections under a new plan put forward by UK deputy Andrew Duff. He also proposes the creation of “semi-open” lists that would give parliament the power to verify the credentials of candidates. Duff, parliament’s rapporteur on electoral reform, outlined his ideas at a news conference on Monday. He said, “These are radical measures but they are badly needed to address the profound democratic deficit facing the EU.”
Read article at theparliament.com
October 7, 2008
We need more time on Lisbon, Martin tells EU
FOREIGN Affairs Minister Micheal Martin yesterday asked Europe's powerbrokers to be more patient with Ireland as the Government grapples for a way forward after the defeat of the Lisbon Treaty. Mr Martin revealed to the European Parliament that Ireland would not have a plan to offer other countries at this month's EU summit, contrary to the expectations of a number of countries.
Read article in the Irish Independent (Ireland)
October 5, 2008
The EU's role in our financial crisis
As the Western world's banking system teeters on the edge of collapse, one crucial factor in this unprecedented crisis has gone almost entirely unnoticed - although David Cameron made a veiled reference to it on Tuesday. At the heart of this catastrophe lies a drastic change made last year to banking regulations, which has led to the current freezing of the money markets. Without it, most of the banks that have collapsed, such as Lehman Brothers, might have survived. Last December, a leading City economist, Professor Peter Spencer of Ernst & Young's Item Club, warned that unless something was done urgently to modify the new rules, the resulting paralysis of the banking system would "make 1929 look like a walk in the park".
Read Christopher Booker's article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
September 25, 2008
Ganley: the Lisbon treaty is dead
Ahead of a conference of presidents meeting this morning to discuss the funding of Irish anti-Lisbon group Libertas, its founder, businessman Declan Ganley, puts his case to MEPs. “It has been interesting to note the response of some MEPs to my country’s overwhelming rejection of the anti-democratic Lisbon treaty. It seems some of them were surprised, which only goes to prove just how removed they are from the real world in which we citizens of Europe occupy.”
Read Declan Ganley's full statement on theparliament.com website
September 18, 2008
French want Cowen to hold another referendum quickly
FRENCH ADVOCATES of the Lisbon Treaty are maintaining pressure on the Irish Government to hold a second referendum as quickly as possible, preferably by the end of next March. The former government minister and member of the European Parliament Alain Lamassoure, in an interview with Europolitique this week, urged Ireland to vote again next spring. "The 26 [other members of the EU] cannot accept that a second referendum take place after the European elections [in June next year]," Mr Lamassoure said.
Read article in the Irish Times (Ireland)
September 17, 2008
Juncker sees Lisbon treaty delay
The European Union’s Lisbon reform treaty, rejected by Irish voters three months ago, appears unlikely to come into effect until January 2010 at the earliest, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg’s prime minister, said on Wednesday. His statement marked the first time a prominent EU leader has acknowledged it would be impossible to adopt the treaty next year.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
September 14, 2008
EU lines up cash for failed treaty
THE European Union plans to ignore the Irish “no” vote on the Lisbon treaty and press ahead with massive spending increases to implement its provisions. It plans to spend £6.2 billion on promoting itself as a “global player” next year and 22% more on justice and home affairs to pay for new powers under the still-unratified treaty, in a budget set to be agreed by Brussels in December. The £6.2 billion will be used to promote EU interests across the world from Latin America to Africa, the Caribbean and Russia, with £243m spent on EU embassies and an £11m information budget to help sell Europe’s new role as a global heavyweight. This appears to be stretching the boundaries of legality by dressing up expenditure on areas of new powers under the Lisbon treaty as falling within existing powers,” said Martin Howe QC, a leading constitutional lawyer.
Read article in The Times (UK)
Comment: Nobody should now be in any doubt over the fact that democracy in the European Union is rapidly being replaced by a dictatorship.
September 11, 2008
EU officials still expecting Irish to vote in second referendum on Lisbon Treaty
European union officials expect Ireland to cave in and hold a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in Autumn 2009. An internal EU briefing paper, entitled 'The Solution to the Irish Problem', predicts that officials will accede to the re-run at a meeting of Europe's leaders on October 15. And there are rumours that French President Nicolas Sarkozy will be back in Dublin before the end of the year "with a message for the Irish".
Read article in the Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland)
September 10, 2008
Irish reject Lisbon poll by next June
Ireland will tell its European partners at next month’s leaders’ summit that it is not possible to stage a fresh referendum on the Lisbon treaty before the European elections next June, as France and others have sought.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
September 10, 2008
Research on rejection of Lisbon Treaty published
A NATIONAL consultation process on Ireland’s future relationship with the European Union will begin today with the publication of research commissioned by the Government to establish the reasons behind the electorate’s rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin will brief Cabinet colleagues about the detail of the research this morning, and it will be published later today. The research was conducted by polling firm Millward Brown IMS, which explored the issue through opinion poll and focus group research during the summer.
Read article in the Irish Times (Ireland)
September 9, 2008
Compromise over Irish revote on EU treaty takes shape
A compromise package aimed at convincing the Irish to return to the ballot box and agree to the Lisbon Treaty seems to be taking shape as Dublin considers opt-outs on defence.
Read article at euractiv.com
September 3, 2008
Irish campaigner pleads for EU-wide Lisbon vote
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The leader of the Irish No campaign, Daclan Ganley, has renewed calls for an EU-wide referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, as Irish media reported parts of the pact may be ratified by the Irish parliament instead. "I can tell you as a citizen having read the Treaty and campaigned on it, it is undemocratic and unacceptable to the majority of my country. Nor do Ibelieve it is acceptable to the majority of the citizens in other countries", Mr Ganley said at a public debate in the European Parliament on Tuesday (2 September). In the view of Mr Ganley - who dislikes being labelled as "anti-European" - the Lisbon Treaty has no future, but if it were to be revived, the only option would be to hold a pan-European referendum.
Read article at euobserver.com
September 3, 2008
Libertas may field up to 30 candidates in EU vote
MULTI-millionaire Declan Ganley yesterday revealed plans for an audacious bid to take his 'No to Lisbon' campaign across Europe as an organised political party. The Libertas leader gave his strongest indication yet that his group would contest next year's European elections across the EU.
Read article in the Irish Independent
September 2, 2008
EU warned to respect Irish treaty no vote
Multi-millionaire Irish no campaigner Declan Ganley has called on the EU to respect the wishes of its citizens and shelve the stalled Lisbon treaty once and for all. Ganley, chairman of Libertas, the group spearheading the no campaign in the Irish referendum last June, was in parliament on Tuesday for a series of discussions on why he and other Irish voters rejected the treaty. The Galway businessman said that failure to abide by the outcome of the vote would sound the death knell for the EU.
Read article at theparliament.com
September 2, 2008
Cowen says Dail can pass parts of treaty without a referendum
Taoiseach Brian Cowen said last night the Lisbon Treaty cannot be passed in its entirety without a referendum. It is possible for the Dail to pass some parts of the treaty without a public vote, and it is understood that Mr Cowen sees this course of action as an option. It leaves the way open for a second controversial vote, but Mr Cowen refused to say if there would be one.
Read article in the Irish Independent
Comment: Brian Cown’s statement is worrying evidence that the Irish government may now be moving towards bypassing the will of the people on this treaty, just as has already been the case in every other European Union country. In a true democracy, of course, the result of the June 12th referendum in Ireland – a resounding “No” vote against the treaty – would be respected and the treaty abandoned. Unfortunately, however, so far as the European Union is concerned, democracy is now well on the way to becoming obsolete.
August 28, 2008
Irish seek Denmark's advice on EU treaty opt-outs: report
DUBLIN (AFP) - Ireland has sought advice from Denmark on how Dublin could opt-out of key parts of the EU Lisbon Treaty, as a way of unblocking the Irish-triggered limbo, a report said Thursday.
Read AFP news report at yahoo.com
August 27, 2008
Cowen fails to rule out second Lisbon vote
Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said he has not ruled out the prospect of holding a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty.
Read article in the Irish Times (Ireland)
August 26, 2008
Dick Roche: Irish minister calls for repeat of Lisbon treaty referendum
Ireland's Europe minister yesterday said Dublin should hold a second referendum to try to ratify the Lisbon treaty - the first time a cabinet minister has openly backed such a move. The minister for European affairs, Dick Roche, said it was his personal opinion that the Dublin government should go back to voters a second time, following the resounding no vote in a June plebiscite.
Read article in The Guardian (UK)
August 25, 2008
Roof collapse prompts renewed calls for one EU parliament
MEPs are again calling for an end to the European parliament’s "travelling circus" to Strasbourg after the recent collapse of part of the parliament building's ceiling. The hemicycle ceiling partly collapsed on August 7, and has forced parliament's first post-recess plenary session to be held in Brussels.
Read article at theparliament.com
Comment: Although the European Parliament meets mostly in Brussels, a treaty agreed by all 27 EU governments states they are required to meet 12 times a year in Strasbourg — a procedure said to cost in excess of £120million annually. As such, if put to a referendum, we have little doubt that a large majority of European citizens would vote against this as an absurd waste of money.
August 25, 2008
Opposition parties unite to rule out Lisbon re-run
Opposition parties and anti-Lisbon Treaty groups today rounded on Europe Minister Dick Roche after he claimed a second referendum on the controversial document may be necessary. In an unusual show of unity, Sinn Féin, the only Dail party opposed to the Treaty, Fine Gael and Labour all insisted another vote was not an option.
Read article at breakingnews.ie (Ireland)
August 19, 2008
Aland Islands could reject Lisbon Treaty
The parliament of Finland's autonomous Aland Islands is currently weighing up whether to vote for or against the EU's Reform Treaty, which has already been ratified by Helsinki. Rejection would put Finland in the awkward situation of not being able guarantee the implementation of the treaty throughout the whole of its territory.
Read article at euractiv.com
August 5, 2008
Lisbon treaty's Czech fate also depends on Irish approach-Sobotka
The Czech Senate's steps within the EU Lisbon treaty ratification will also depend on the approach Ireland will take towards the treaty, Czech Senate chairman Premysl Sobotka told journalists after a meeting with President Vaclav Klaus today. By their "no" to the EU reform treaty in a referendum in June, the Irish sent a clear signal and it can be said as a certain hyperbole that the treaty is "dead" now, said Sobotka, member of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) that commands a majority of votes in the Czech upper house.
Read article at ceskenoviny.cz (Czech Republic)
August 4, 2008
No to no, the referendum-free EU
The consensus that there should be no more referendums, Irish or otherwise, seems to be growing as European Union types shut up shop for the summer. It has become clearer and clearer following June's Irish No, along with previous referendums rejections in France and the Netherlands, that Europe's political establishments can no longer carry people with them when it comes to the EU.
Read Bruno Waterfield's blog on the Daily Telegraph website (UK)
July 30, 2008
Second Lisbon poll would be foolish, warns O'Rourke
A SENIOR Fianna Fáil TD has warned the Government it would be "foolish" to hold a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty. Speaking at a meeting of the cross-party committee on European affairs, former government minister Mary O'Rourke said a second referendum would also be defeated. "We will not be able to carry another Lisbon… it is foolish, foolish talk," said Ms O'Rourke, who is a member of the committee. The Fianna Fáil TD suggested the Government should instead seek another way to get Lisbon passed.
Read article in the Irish Examiner (Ireland)
Comment: O'Rourke's suggestion that the Irish Government should "seek another way to get Lisbon passed" sounds suspiciously like a recommendation to bypass the will of the people, just as has already been the case in other European Union countries. The Lisbon Treaty proposes significant changes to the functioning of the European Union, many of which favour the interests of big business at the expense of the democratic rights of citizens. Unless all citizens of voting age are immediately be given the opportunity to vote in referendums on this treaty, Europe will increasingly turn into an "Orwellian continent" where dictatorship, not democracy, is the sole order of the day.
July 26, 2008
Irish strongly oppose second vote on key EU treaty: poll
DUBLIN (AFP) - Nearly three-quarters of Irish voters are against holding a second referendum on the EU's key reform treaty, according to an opinion poll out Sunday.
Read AFP news report at yahoo.com
Comment: The opinion poll found that 71 percent oppose a second referendum with only 24 percent in favour. Of those who expressed an opinion, 62 percent said they would vote "no" in a second referendum, compared to 34 percent who would vote "yes". This would mean that the 'no' vote lead would increase from six points in the recent referendum to a commanding 24-point lead if a second vote were held.
July 25, 2008
No budge in Klaus's position on Lisbon Treaty after Kaczynski visit
The future of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty was the main issue on the agenda when Czech President Václav Klaus played host to his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski on Thursday. The media speculation was that the Polish president was on a mission to persuade the euro-sceptic Mr Klaus to tone down his marked opposition to Lisbon. If that was the case, it was mission unaccomplished.
Read article on the Radio Prague website (Czech Republic)
Comment: At a joint appearance in front of the media, Václav Klaus, the Czech President, said the EU's reform treaty was a mistake and a bad thing for Europe, adding that there was simply no point in talking about the "drama" caused by Ireland's no vote unless the Irish changed their position. Mr Kaczynski, the Polish President, had himself initially refused to sign the Lisbon Treaty in the wake of Ireland's no vote. But he made an abrupt u-turn recently, after apparently winning concessions from France's, Nicolas Sarkozy, one of the treaty's keenest supporters.
July 21, 2008
Irish 'No' vote architect plans Europe-wide 'referendum' on Lisbon Treaty
The man who delivered an historic "No" vote in Ireland against the EU's Lisbon Treaty has revealed far-reaching plans to give voters throughout Europe a peoples' referendum on the handover of power to Brussels. Declan Ganley is planning to field more than 400 candidates in next June's European Parliament elections, in the 26 countries – including Britain – where voters have had no direct say on the treaty.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
July 15, 2008
Sarkozy Lisbon comments draw sharp response
Political parties have reacted angrily to comments made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy in which he said Ireland will have to vote again on the Lisbon treaty. "The Irish will have to vote again," Mr Sarkozy is reported to have told deputies from his UMP party in a meeting in his office. Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said he couldn't comment on Mr Sarkozy's reported remarks. He said the Government is examining "all the options" after voters rejected the Lisbon treaty last month. But Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said if reports about Mr Sarkozy's comments were correct, the French president "has seriously put his foot in it".
Read article in the Irish Times (Ireland)
July 15, 2008
EU parliament 'failed to comply' with law on MEP expenses
European ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros has criticised parliament for failing to comply with transparency laws for MEPs' expenses. It follows a complaint from a Maltese journalist, whose request for details of his country's five MEPs' allowances was rejected by the assembly on the grounds of data protection. The journalist had lodged a complaint with Diamandouros, arguing that taxpayers have a right to know how MEPs spend public money.
Read article at theparliament.com
July 9, 2008
European Parliament bars Euro-sceptic Groups
MEPs took yet another step towards arbitrary rule this afternoon, adopting new rules designed explicitly to prevent Euro-sceptics from forming a Group.
Read Daniel Hannan's blog on the Daily Telegraph website (UK)
July 7, 2008
EUROPE: Czechs Could 'Bury' Lisbon Treaty
PRAGUE, Jul 7 (IPS) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus and politicians from the senior ruling Civic Democrats (ODS) have been inspired by the Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, which could now die in Czech hands. On Jun. 12 Irish voters rejected the Lisbon Treaty, an EU (European Union) legal document for institutional changes. "All Europe should thank the Irish," said Klaus, making him the only EU head of state to openly welcome the referendum result.
Read news story at ipsnews.net
July 3, 2008
Czech leader Klaus hopes EU treaty will be blocked
PRAGUE, July 3 (Reuters) - Czech President Vaclav Klaus hopes either the country's Constitutional Court or the upper house of parliament will block adoption of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, he said in a newspaper interview on Thursday. Speaking to the daily Lidove Noviny, the euro-sceptic president declined to say if he would sign the treaty upon ratification by parliament. But he welcomed a decision by his Polish counterpart Lech Kaczynski, who has refused to sign the document following its rejection by Irish voters in a referendum last month. "I hope that the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty will be prevented here either by the Constitutional Court or the Senate (upper house)," Klaus said.
Read article at finance.cz (Czech Republic)
July 2, 2008
EU ups pressure on treaty approval
France pushes Lisbon ratification while Poland poses setback
As France assumed the European Union presidency July 1, senior French officials increased pressure on the Czech Republic to proceed with its ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner criticized Prague's negative handling of the reform treaty, a track record made more significant by the fact that the Czech Republic will be taking over the rotating EU presidency Jan. 1.
Read article in the Prague Post (Czech Republic)
July 2, 2008
Polish president links EU treaty approval to Irish
WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will not ratify the European Union's reform treaty unless Ireland manages to overcome its own voters' opposition and also approves the charter, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said on Wednesday. Kaczynski, a Eurosceptic, said he could not accept attempts by other EU states to bully Ireland into approving the treaty, rejected by its voters in a June referendum.
Read news report at reuters.com
June 30, 2008
Polish president refuses to sign EU reform treaty
WARSAW (AFP) - Polish President Lech Kaczynski announced in an interview published Tuesday that he will not sign the EU's Lisbon Treaty, saying it was pointless after Irish voters rejected it in a referendum last month. "For the moment, the question of the treaty is pointless," Kaczynski was quoted as saying in the online version of the daily Dziennik. The Polish parliament voted in April to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, a key reform treaty meant to streamline EU decision-making, but it needs the signature of the president to become definitive.
Read AFP news report at yahoo.com
June 30, 2008
German President Suspends Ratification of EU Lisbon Treaty
German President Koehler has put on hold his country's ratification of the EU's Lisbon Treaty until the highest court has ruled on legal challenges to the text in a move that imperils Germany's EU reform plans. German President Horst Koehler will not sign off on the ratification of the embattled EU's Lisbon Treaty until the country's Constitutional Court decides whether the reform accord is compatible with the country's Basic Law, his office said on Monday, June 30. Koehler has decided to heed a request from the Constitutional Court not to add his signature to the embattled reform treaty pending its ruling, his office said in a statement.
Read article on the Deutsche Welle website (Germany)
Comment: In Germany, both houses of parliament passed the law ratifiying the Lisbon Treaty with the two-thirds majority needed earlier this year. But it needs President Koehler's signature for the law to come into force. However, the Lisbon Treaty faces a challenge in Germany by The Left, a radical left-wing opposition party, and a member of the ultra-conservative Christian Social Union.
June 27, 2008
Austrian leader calls for referendum if EU treaty changed
Austria's chancellor, Alfred Gusenbauer, has said that if any changes are made to the Lisbon Treaty following its rejection by Irish voters earlier this month, then it should be put to a referendum in his country. "We think any future changes to the treaty that affect Austrian interests must be decided in Austria by a referendum," Mr Gusenbauer said in an open letter published in tabloid daily Kronen Zeitung. "A lot of people are under the impression that the EU is not concerned with their real problems but that it is interested above all in looking after itself." The letter was also signed by the president of the Social Democrats, Werner Faymann.
Read article at euobserver.com
June 26, 2008
The ratification game
Who has really done the deed?
EUROCRATS have been claiming ever since Ireland's no vote that 19 of the 27 European Union members have ratified the Lisbon treaty. The truth is fiddlier: strictly, the correct number is only ten. In Britain Parliament approved the treaty just in time for the EU summit that began late on June 19th (the queen gave royal assent that morning). But formal delivery of beribboned parchments and wax seals to an archive in Rome has not taken place. On June 25th the High Court threw out a legal challenge to ratification by a Eurosceptic businessman, so this final step will now be taken. Ten other countries have already "deposited the instruments of ratification" in Rome; another five are about to do so.
Read article in The Economist (UK)
June 26, 2008
EU Constitution author says referendums can be ignored
Future referendums will be ignored whether they are held in Ireland or elsewhere, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the architect of the European Union Constitution said. The former President of France drafted the old Constitution that was rejected by French and Dutch voters three years ago before being resurrected as the Lisbon EU Treaty, itself shunned by the Irish two weeks ago. Mr Giscard d'Estaing told the Irish Times that Ireland's referendum rejection would not kill the Treaty, despite a legal requirement of unanimity from all the EU's 27 member states. "We are evolving towards majority voting because if we stay with unanimity, we will do nothing," he said.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
Comment: Giscard d'Estaing's comments here show that the EU remains intent upon ruling by dictatorship - despite the democratic rejection of these plans in referendums by French and Dutch voters on the EU Constitution, and now Irish voters in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
June 25, 2008
Wheeler to appeal over referendum
Millionaire tycoon Stuart Wheeler says he will appeal against a High Court decision to oppose his bid for a UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
June 25, 2008
High Court rejects bid to block EU treaty
LONDON (Reuters) - The High Court rejected a lawsuit on Wednesday that sought to halt the country's approval of an EU reform treaty. Businessman Stuart Wheeler had brought the case to try to force the government to block the ratification of the Lisbon treaty, which seeks to streamline decision-making in the 27-member bloc. "We have found nothing in the claimant's case to cast doubt on the lawfulness of ratifying the Lisbon treaty without a referendum," the judge, Lord Justice Stephen Richards, said in his ruling. He also refused Wheeler leave to appeal, saying: "We are satisfied an appeal has no prospect of success."
Read news report at reuters.com
June 23, 2008
Campaigners blast EU lobby register plans
Transparency campaigners have slammed as "fundamentally flawed" Brussels' plans to introduce a voluntary register for EU lobbyists. Speaking at a press conference on Monday ahead of the launch of the register by EU administrative affairs commissioner Siim Kallas, Jorgo Riis, member of the alliance for lobbying transparency, Alter EU, questioned whether the new lobby register had "any value at all". Riis, also Greenpeace European director, said, "The end product is proof that commercial lobbyists have effective influence in Brussels. Why has the Barroso commission not pushed further on transparency?"
Read
article at theparliament.com
Comment: According to Alter EU, individual lobbyists will not be named, meaning there will be no exposure of scandals, no trace of revolving doors (where former EU staff land lucrative jobs with lobbyists), no information on possible conflicts of interest and continued confusion over the number of lobbyists active in Brussels.
June 21, 2008
Judge forces delay in ratification of Lisbon treaty to await legal ruling
Britain's final ratification of the EU's Lisbon treaty will not take place until after the high court rules on a legal attempt to force a referendum, the prime minister said yesterday, after the judge presiding over the case said he would consider granting an injunction to stop it. Lord Justice Richards said he was very surprised that ministers appeared to be planning to press ahead with ratification before he handed down his ruling next week, and he called on the government to delay ratification. The judge's intervention came as Germany and France failed to convince the rest of the EU to commit to ratifying the treaty, following last week's rejection by Irish voters.
Read article in The Guardian (UK)
June 21, 2008
Czechs refuse to give Lisbon treaty pledge
The European Union's efforts to limit the damage from Ireland's rejection of the EU reform treaty ran into trouble yesterday when the Czech Republic refused to give an explicit promise to approve the document.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
June 20, 2008
Czech threat looms for EU treaty
EU leaders have admitted that the Czech Republic may not be able to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, which has already been rejected by the Irish. The declaration from their summit in Brussels notes that the Czech process is on hold due to legal difficulties.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
June 20, 2008
EU gives Ireland an ultimatum – find a solution to treaty 'no' vote
European Union leaders last night gave Ireland just four months to produce a way out of the crisis over the Lisbon Treaty caused by its rejection by the Irish people in last week's referendum. Although EU leaders denied the charge of "bullying" the Irish government, they set an October deadline for it to explain how it could win public support for the ill-fated treaty designed to streamline the EU's decision-making process.
Read article in The Independent (UK)
June 19, 2008
Czechs against EU treaty further ratification
The Czech Republic will not support further ratification of the Lisbon treaty if the current EU summit in Brussels proposes a resolution saying the ratification should go on, Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg told today's issue of the Austrian daily Der Standard.
Read article at ceskenoviny.cz (Czech Republic)
June 19, 2008
Czechs put ratifying of EU treaty on hold
The Lisbon Treaty suffered a fresh blow on Wednesday as the Czech Republic suspended ratification after last week's Irish referendum defeat.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
Comment: Mirek Topolánek, the Czech prime minister, says that the treaty's ratification will be put on hold in the Czech Republic while the country's Constitutional Court decides if approving the text is legal.
June 19, 2008
Pressure on Czechs and Poles not to say 'no' to EU treaty too
Fears that Eastern European countries are preparing to follow Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty have increased tensions before today's Brussels summit, where EU leaders hope to rescue the document – or at least keep it alive. The Continent's leaders are refusing to accept that the treaty is dead, despite the dramatic Irish referendum rejection last week, and are determined to persuade the Czechs and the Poles, seen as the two most likely to suspend ratification, to complete the process.
Read article in The Times (UK)
Comment: In Poland, the treaty has cleared parliament but is awaiting the signature of President Kaczynski, a Eurosceptic, and he could well decide to hold off until it is clearer whether the treaty can be saved in Ireland. In the Czech Republic, there is a constitutional court challenge and President Klaus has already pronounced the treaty dead.
June 17, 2008
EU treaty should be dropped, say British voters
British voters want Gordon Brown to scrap moves to ratify the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, a new poll has disclosed.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
Comment: According to the poll, which was carried out by YouGov after the Irish result was announced on Friday, 54 per cent of British voters believe their Government should drop the treaty, whilst only 14 per cent of those questioned agreed that it should carry on and ratify it.
June 17, 2008
EU faces fresh Lisbon delay
European Union leaders who meet for summit talks in Brussels on Thursday are bracing themselves for more delays in the ratification of the bloc's Lisbon treaty after its rejection last week by Irish voters. Legal and political complications in the Czech Republic and Poland make it unlikely that the two central European countries will ratify the treaty in time for a scheduled EU summit in October, politicians and diplomats forecast on Tuesday. Together with the Irish vote, the Czech and Polish problems make it a near-certainty that the Lisbon reforms to the EU's institutions and voting procedures will not come into effect on January 1 as once planned – and possibly not before the European parliamentary elections in June 2009.
Read
article in the Finanical Times (UK)
June 17, 2008
Quick fix over treaty could backfire, EU leaders are warned
· Czechs resist French and German push to ratify plan
· Veto will not shut us out of Europe, says Irish minister
France and Germany were warned yesterday that their attempts to build a head of steam behind the treaty designed to reshape the EU, despite its rejection by Irish voters, could backfire and kill it off. The warning came from the Czech Republic where the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, met four central European leaders to shore up support for the Lisbon treaty.
Read article in The Guardian (UK)
June 17, 2008
The EU reveals its anti-democratic nature
David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, said in the Commons yesterday that Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty last week "must be respected". He also said that the rules of the EU are "clear" - that a treaty falls if it does not command the unanimous support of all 27 member states. And he insisted there could be no "bulldozing" of the Irish into changing their position. Admirable sentiments, all. Mr Miliband then stood all three statements on their head by making it clear that Ireland's courageous vote is not going to be accepted by Europe's ruling elites, that the Government will press on regardless with ratification of the treaty, and that it is up the Irish to sort this mess out - in other words, change its mind.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
June 16, 2008
EU leaders move to keep treaty alive amid fears of permanent rift
Deep cracks appeared yesterday in the efforts of European governments to put a brave face on Ireland's rejection of the European Union reform treaty.
Read article in The Independent (UK)
June 16, 2008
EU should take new route, says Miliband
· Foreign secretary rejects two-speed Europe
· Leaders urged to put aside institutional reform
The foreign secretary, David Miliband, came close to declaring the EU Lisbon treaty dead yesterday as he urged European leaders to turn their back on "institutional reform" and instead address issues of concern to ordinary citizens. He ruled out the idea, being floated in France and Germany, of allowing the treaty to be implemented in 26 EU member states, with Ireland - whose referendum rejected the treaty - somehow opting out.
Read article in The Guardian (UK)
Comment: Notably, and as this article describes, the UK's former Liberal Democrat leader Lord Ashdown says that the Irish no vote "could even be the end of the European Union as we know it".
June 16, 2008
Irish health group welcomes 'no' to Lisbon treaty
Ireland's rejection of the European Union Lisbon Treaty has strengthened the resolve of the country's independent health store retailers as well as food supplement manufacturers and wholesalers in their campaign against EU regulations. The Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS) has for many years been campaigning against what it perceives as "highly restrictive" laws that have been implemented - or are in the process of being implemented - across the 27-member state bloc in regard to food supplement and functional foods.
Read article at nutraingredients.com
June 16, 2008
Ireland insists
Brian Cowen, the Irish prime minister, has given the first indication that he will resist demands to stage a second referendum in the wake of Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty, writes John Murray Brown in Dublin.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
June 15, 2008
No 10 admits EU treaty is finished
Gordon Brown is privately ready to sacrifice the Lisbon treaty rather than allow the Irish no vote to create a two-tier Europe. Despite the Irish referendum, France, Germany and senior Brussels officials have insisted there should be no delay in implementing the European Union blueprint. But No 10 sources say the prime minister would rather see the entire constitutional treaty collapse than allow individual member states to be left trailing in a two-speed Europe. The collapse of the Lisbon treaty would take the heat off Brown as he faces down renewed calls for Britain to have its own referendum.
Read article in The Sunday Times (UK)
June 14, 2008
Tories call for vote on EU Treaty
The Conservatives have called on the government to allow the British people to vote on the EU Treaty after it was rejected by Irish voters. It comes after the government said it would press ahead with its ratification of the Lisbon Treaty despite the Irish voting "no" in a referendum. Shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the poll had "blown a big hole" in the government's European strategy.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
June 14, 2008
EU referendum: What the European papers say
Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty in Thursday's referendum was front page news across Europe, prompting mixed reaction in the morning newspapers.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
June 14, 2008
Press urge PM to hold EU treaty vote after Irish 'no'
LONDON (AFP) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown should halt ratification of a key European Union reform treaty and hold a referendum, newspapers said Saturday after Irish voters rejected the document in a vote.
Read AFP news report at google.com
June 14, 2008
Irish voters sign death warrant for EU's Lisbon treaty
Irish voters tore up the European Union's blueprint for the future yesterday in a dramatic and decisive rejection of the Lisbon treaty. The result leaves Brussels' plans to streamline EU power – creating a president and foreign minister and reducing the influence for smaller countries such as Ireland – in tatters. The 53.4 per cent "no" vote should in theory sign the death warrant of the treaty, which has been eight years in the making, since it requires ratification by all 27 members. Gordon Brown faced immediate calls to scrap British ratification.
Read article in The Times (UK)
June 13, 2008
Czech president says EU's Lisbon treaty finished
Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Friday that ratification of the European Union's Lisbon treaty could not continue after it was rejected by Irish voters. The reform treaty has hit a potential stumbling block in the Czech Republic, where the upper house of parliament has asked the constitutional court to judge whether the charter is compatible with the country's constitution.
Read news report at reuters.com
Comment: "The Lisbon treaty project ended today with the decision of the Irish voters and its ratification cannot be continued," Klaus, a eurosceptic long opposed to deeper European integration, said in a statement. "The result is hopefully a clear message to everybody. It is a victory of freedom and reason over artificial elitist projects and European bureaucracy."
June 13, 2008
Eurosceptics warn EU not to ignore Irish treaty rejection
EU leaders will be guilty of showing "contempt for democracy" if they attempt to carry on with ratification of the Lisbon treaty, MEP Nigel Farage has warned. Following the Irish referendum "no" on Friday, Farage, the UKIP leader in the European parliament demanded that any further ratification of the treaty be immediately stopped. "The Irish result today shows that the Lisbon treaty does not command public support. The only people to have a say on the treaty have kicked it into the long grass," said Farage.
Read article at theparliament.com
June 11, 2008
Judges reserve EU vote decision
The judges hearing millionaire Stuart Wheeler's attempt to force a referendum on the EU Treaty have reserved their judgement after a two day hearing. Mr Wheeler said a vote was promised and "fair play" meant it should be held. Prime Minister Gordon Brown says the treaty does not have the constitutional implications to merit a referendum. Lord Justice Richards confirmed that, as expected, judgement was being reserved - but promised a decision "as soon as possible".
Read article at BBC News (UK)
June 9, 2008
IAHS HEEDS D'ESTAING'S WORDS
The Irish Association of Health Stores has announced its opposition to the Lisbon Treaty. Heeding the words of one of the main architects of the Lisbon Treaty, Giscard d'Estaing, that 'If people understood it they would vote against it', the IAHS unanimously agreed to endorse a No vote in Thursday's referendum, following a meeting of its National Council today. "While not against the EU in principle, it is patently clear that Europe has not been good for the natural products industry, or for freedom of choice in healthcare," said Jill Bell, IAHS President. "The Lisbon Treaty seems set to further facilitate erosion of individual rights and choices," she added. "All EU regulations which have affected our industry over the past six years have originated with the Commission itself, rather than with our elected political representatives," said Ms. Bell. "Increasing EU efficiency may mean a more smoothly-run Europe, but at what price?" she asked. The introduction of harmonising measures, such as the Food Supplements Directive and the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive, is further evidence that, within the EU, trade regulations are drawn up to favour big business, at the expense of small enterprises. These regulations are so onerous, that for the natural products sector, which is made up almost exclusively of small enterprises, compliance presents an almost impossible task. Ms. Bell commented, "Efficiency and democracy are unhappy bedfellows." She continued, "The future viability of health stores is seriously under threat as a direct result of EU regulation which, we are told, is to facilitate the smooth workings of the internal market." Ms. Bell concluded, "The David and Goliath situation within the EU, where the commercial regulatory environment is biased in favour of large corporations, looks set to continue, and even worsen, under this Treaty."
Read press release on the website of the Irish Association of Health Stores (IAHS)
June 8, 2008
Irish voters poised to kill off EU 'stealth constitution'
Ireland's no campaign has a five-point lead just days before the vital vote on the reform treaty; and Brussels has no plan C
UNDER a drizzly sky, the Eurocrats of Brussels smiled and handed out balloons at their annual open day yesterday. Behind closed doors, however, as one official admitted: "They're all s******* themselves." In four days Ireland will vote on the European reform treaty and polling suggests that the "no" camp will win. If it does, the European Union mandarins will once again have been thwarted in their efforts to impose a "stealth constitution" on the union's 500m population. French and Dutch voters killed off the original constitution three years ago; now the Irish may be poised to dispatch its replacement, the Lisbon treaty, on Thursday.
Read article in The Times (UK)
June 6, 2008
EU treaty in peril as Irish 'No' camp takes the lead
The Republic of Ireland is set to reject the Lisbon Treaty, destroying ambitions to salvage a draft European constitution. Rejection by only one of the European Union's 27 member states would mean that the treaty – ratified by five parliaments so far – would fall. Ireland has been the only country to put the treaty to a referendum. According to an opinion poll published today in The Irish Times, 35 per cent of people surveyed intend to vote "No" in next Thursday's ballot, more than double the 17 per cent figure in the newspaper's last survey three weeks ago. Support for the treaty has fallen from 35 per cent to 30 per cent, with 28 per cent undecided and 7 per cent intending to abstain.
Read article in The Times (UK)
June 5, 2008
Lisbon could lead to "Iraq-like" campaign
IT IS conceivable that Ireland could find itself supporting an "Iraq-like military adventure" in the future if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, a debate on the upcoming referendum has heard. Speaking in the Limerick Hilton, the leader of the Socialist Party, Joe Higgins said that a "huge push" towards the militarisation of Europe is contained within the Lisbon Treaty. "The EU is now a major economic power with 500 million people which is a huge force on the world stage, and in the capitalist market worldwide. What the Lisbon Treaty does is to give more power to these economic forces," he said.
Read article in the Limerick Post (Ireland)
June 5, 2008
Bookies Running Scared Of Lisbon Treaty No Vote
Ireland's largest bookmaker, Paddy Power, have reported a surge of betting in support of a NO vote in the forthcoming Lisbon Treaty Referendum. This has resulted in the bookmaker slashing the odds on a NO vote from 5/1 to 3/1.
Read news story at ajcconsultants.ltd.uk
May 30, 2008
Corrs guitarist: 9/11 was an inside job
Corrs guitarist Jim Corr has claimed that there was overwhelming evidence that the 9/11 attacks in America were carried out by "rogue elements" of US President George Bush's "neo-con administration". In a rare intervention into the political arena, the male singer with The Corrs band also came out against the Lisbon Treaty claiming that it is "tip-toe totalitarianism in the West". In an interview with Matt Cooper on Ireland's Today FM's 'Last Word', Corr made the case for voting 'No' to Lisbon, claiming it could introduce the death penalty to Ireland and contribute to a "new world order".
Read article in the Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland)
June 3, 2008
Lisbon Treaty is Deception of Angela Merkel
The Constitutional Committee of the European Parliament has just had a delegation in Berlin to follow the negotiations on resurrecting the rejected EU Constitution. The German presidency has sent twelve questions to the Member states and has received an answer from all 27 of them. The presidency now knows which countries can accept the whole constitution and which countries will ask for what changes in order to adopt the text without a referendum. The exercise has one overriding agenda: avoid referenda.
Read article by Jens-Peter Bonde at euportal.cz (Czech Republic)
June 2, 2008
Brits back legal challenge to EU treaty
Most Britons believe the government should have held a referendum on the European Union amending treaty, a poll suggests. According to YouGov 65 per cent of the public think Labour has broken its promise to hold a referendum on the abortive EU constitution, which collapsed after being rejected by French and Dutch voters.
Read news story at inthenews.co.uk (UK)
June 1, 2008
Select aboard! Eurocrats get gravy train
After years of being accused of riding the Brussels gravy train, members of the European parliament are about to step aboard a real one. A Eurocrats-only express service will be launched next month to ferry MEPs and officials in luxury at 186mph between one European parliament in Brussels and the other in Strasbourg. The buffet car will, of course, be fully stocked. The Strasbourg Express will leave Brussels for the first time at 9.57am on Monday, July 7. Each return journey will cost the taxpayer about £158,000, but the fare-paying public will be banned. MEPs will pay £170 for a return ticket, but will then be reimbursed.
Read article in The Times (UK)
June 1, 2008
Irish farmers' leaders spurn Yes vote
Ireland's largest farming organisation refuses to direct its members to vote in favour of Lisbon
The country's largest farm organisation is not going to ask its members to vote Yes to the Lisbon treaty and, in an unprecedented move, may even call for a No vote after the gulf between the government and farmers widened yesterday. Padraig Walshe, the president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), said there will be "definitely no Yes vote" from his 85,000 members unless the government agrees to threaten to veto a reduction in trade tariffs at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.
Read article in The Times (UK)
May 27, 2008
European Parliament to ban Eurosceptic groups
Plans to eliminate Eurosceptics as an organised opposition within the European Parliament are expected to be agreed by a majority of MEPs this summer. The European Union assembly's political establishment is pushing through changes that will silence dissidents by changing the rules allowing Euro-MPs to form political groupings.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
May 26, 2008
Irish referendum "too close to call", says former EU parliament president
Pat Cox, a former president of parliament, says the upcoming Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty, is "too close to call." With opinion polls showing much of the Irish electorate undecided, the possibility that the treaty may be rejected has sent tremors of fear through the ranks of the EU.
Read story at theparliament.com
May 26, 2008
No-camp gains ground in Irish polls on Lisbon
The number of people inclined to reject the Lisbon Treaty in Ireland's June 12 referendum is rising faster than that for yes-voters, according to the latest opinion poll reported at the weekend.
Read story on the EUX.TV website
May 26, 2008
Ministers fear Republic may reject Lisbon treaty
An opinion poll has shown that the outcome of Ireland's forthcoming referendum on the EU's Lisbon treaty is in doubt, with no confidence in official circles that a yes vote will be delivered.
Read story in the Belfast Telegraph (Northern Ireland)
May 15, 2008
One-third of farmers set to reject Lisbon Treaty
One-third of farmers are planning to vote 'no' in the forthcoming referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, according to an opinion poll published this morning. The Red C poll in the Irish Farmers Journal reveals that many farmers remain sceptical about the proposed EU reforms.
Read story in the Irish Independent (Ireland)
May 7, 2008
Blair loses Sarkozy's backing for presidency
Tony Blair's hopes of becoming Europe's first president suffered a setback yesterday after President Nicolas Sarkozy of France indicted that he had withdrawn his support. Elysée sources confirmed that Mr Sarkozy was backing Jean Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg, as the "firm favourite", suggesting he had given up on Mr Blair after resistance from other countries.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
May 6, 2008
EU court judgements affecting Irish treaty campaign
The Irish government's official campaign in favour of the EU's Lisbon Treaty has been dealt a blow following the decision by a major union to speak out against the document. The Technical Engineering and Electrical Union on Monday (5 May) urged its 45,000 members to vote against the treaty in the referendum next month. General secretary of the TEEU Eamon Devoy took the stance on the back of recent judgements by the EU's highest court which he said had shown that the pendulum had "swung against workers' rights and in favour of big business.
Read article at euobserver.com
Comment: Ireland is still the only country currently planning to hold a referendum on the treaty, on 12 June.
May 2, 2008
Victory in first round of campaign to force EU treaty referendum
Stuart Wheeler, one of Britain's richest men, has won the first round of his battle to force Gordon Brown to hold a referendum on the EU Reform Treaty. He went to the High Court in London last month to seek a judicial review of the Government's decision not to hold a referendum on the treaty. Today judges ruled that the challenge can go ahead.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
April 28, 2008
German bid for EU vote rejected
Germany's highest court has rejected an attempt by a centre-right politician to stop the German parliament ratifying the EU constitution next month. Peter Gauweiler of the opposition Christian Social Union wanted a German referendum on the EU constitution. But the court threw out his challenge, clearing the way for the upper house to conclude the ratification on 27 May.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
April 27, 2008
Poll shows dramatic fall in support for Lisbon Treaty
Public opinion has moved sharply against the Lisbon Treaty, with the Yes side now enjoying only a slender lead, according to the latest Sunday Business Post/Red C monthly tracking poll.
Read article in the Sunday Business Post (Ireland)
April 24, 2008
Czech Senate asks Constitutional Court to examine Lisbon treaty
The Czech Senate today asked the Constitutional Court to examine whether the Lisbon treaty, setting down new rules of the EU, is in harmony with the Czech constitutional order. The proposal, supported by 48 out of the 70 present senators, was initiated by the governing Civic Democratic Party (ODS). Senators for the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) and the Open Democracy Club tried in vain to have the treaty ratified without any postponements.
Read article at ceskenoviny.cz (Czech Republic)
April 24, 2008
On St George's Day, EU wipes England off map
England has been wiped off a map of Europe drawn up by Brussels bureaucrats as part of a scheme that the Tories claim threatens to undermine the country's national identity. The new European plan splits England into three zones that are joined with areas in other countries. The "Manche" region covers part of southern England and northern France while the Atlantic region includes western parts of England, Portugal, Spain and Wales. The North Sea region includes eastern England, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands and parts of Germany. A copy of the map, which makes no reference to England or Britain, has even renamed the English Channel the "Channel Sea".
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
April 23, 2008
MEPs reject publication of expenses enquiry
MEPs have controversially voted against publication of a report by parliament's internal auditor which is said to contain evidence of widespread abuse of funds intended to be used to pay their staff.
Read article at theparliament.com
April 21, 2008
EU fraud office steps up investigation of MEP expenses
The EU anti-fraud office Olaf has increased the number of investigators probing claims of an expenses scam by MEPs, it has emerged. There are now four officials working almost full time on the case due to the "quantity of information" Olaf has been given. The revelation comes after the Dutch MEP Paul van Buitenen last week gave Olaf the names of two MEPs he believes have been involved in expenses fraud.
Read article at theparliament.com
April 20, 2008
Barroso: EU countries could ignore Irish tax veto
A group of EU countries could proceed with plans for a common corporate tax base even if Ireland vetoes plans for a general EU-wide tax base, according to Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission. EU rules allow for "enhanced cooperation" among groups of member states, in situations where the EU as a whole cannot agree on a proposal. The euro area is one such example. In an interview with The Sunday Business Post, Barroso said that the controversial plans for a common corporate tax base could proceed on the basis of enhanced cooperation, even though the Irish veto on taxation matters is copper-fastened by the Lisbon Treaty.
Read article in the Sunday Business Post (Ireland)
April 16, 2008
Ireland's referendum - Leaked memo to British Government exposes Irish Government conniving with foreign governments to deceive the Irish electorate
The Government has hatched an elaborate plan to deceive voters over the forthcoming EU treaty referendum, the Irish Daily Mail can today reveal. A leaked email shows that ministers are planning a deliberate campaign of misinformation to ensure that the Lisbon Treaty vote is passed when it is put to the public as required by the Constitution. Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern has even been personally assured that the European Commission will "tone down or delay" any announcements from Brussels "that might be unhelpful". Alarmingly, the email says that ministers ruled out an October referendum, which would have been better procedurally, because they feared "unhelpful developments during the French presidency - particularly related to EU defence".
Read article from the Irish Daily Mail at free-europe.org
April 14, 2008
'Palace, jet and personal staff of 22' for the new EU president
The proposed full-time president of the European Union is to be given a personal jet, a palatial official residence and a personal staff of up to 22, under plans being considered in Brussels.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
April 6, 2008
Lords usher in EU treaty with 12-hour farce
By happy coincidence, two events last week again confirmed the Orwellian ingenuity of the EU's coup d'état over the constitution. In 2005, with the EU's leaders in shock after their constitution had been rejected by French and Dutch voters, their response was "Plan D", to win the support of the "citizens of Europe" through "democracy, dialogue and debate". Then they had an even better idea: to rearrange the contents of the constitution under another name and railroad it through national parliaments without allowing the voters of Europe a further chance to reject it. April Fool's Day brought the latest instalment of this cynical farce in Britain. Once the treaty had been rammed through the Commons, it was the turn of the Lords. The 12-hour debate, the longest of recent times, was wholly ignored by the press - and why should it have been otherwise?
Read
article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
April 3, 2008
EU treaty referendum 'probably' on June 12
TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday finally confirmed Thursday, June 12 as the date for the Lisbon Treaty referendum. Speaking shortly after making his shock resignation announcement, Mr Ahern told a packed Dail chamber he believed such a timeframe would be the "most appropriate".
Read article in The Independent (Ireland)
April 2, 2008
Ahern to resign as Irish premier
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has announced he is to resign in May. Mr Ahern, 56, has been taoiseach since June 1997 and has been a member of the Irish Parliament for 31 years. The announcement comes a day after Mr Ahern began a court challenge to limit the work of a public inquiry probing planning corruption in the 1990s.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
Comment: Fears amongst pro-Lisbon Treaty campaigners in Ireland have been growing of late that a 'No' vote in the upcoming Irish referendum would be guaranteed unless Ahern stood down. Our money's on him getting a top job in Brussels as his reward…
March 30, 2008
Polish government, opposition strike deal to adopt EU's new treaty
WARSAW, Poland: Poland's government and opposition have struck a deal on adopting the new EU treaty, the prime minister said Sunday, apparently ending a feud that threatened to derail ratification and damage Warsaw's standing in the bloc. "The president and I reached an agreement," Donald Tusk told reporters in the Baltic port city of Gdansk. "I hope that this will end the unnecessary chaos surrounding ratification." The deal appears to head off a referendum on the treaty, which had emerged as a possibility as the two sides squabbled over parliamentary ratification.
Read article in the International Herald Tribune
March 25, 2008
Bulgarian parliament ratifies EU treaty
Bulgaria, one of the EU's most recent member states, on Friday (21 March) became the sixth country to ratify the EU's Lisbon treaty.
Read article at euobserver.com
March 18, 2008
Poland could face EU treaty vote
Polish PM Donald Tusk has said a referendum may be necessary on the Lisbon Treaty because of a dispute with the opposition and President Kaczynski. The president and his twin brother, Jaroslaw, helped negotiate the accord but are now threatening to torpedo it, saying it could harm Polish interests.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
March 12, 2008
German legal case 'could delay' EU treaty
German government plans to approve the controversial EU reform treaty could be delayed for months, it has emerged. A legal challenge to the document by the third largest political party in Germany could hold up ratification, sparking fears that the EU's biggest member state may not sign off the treaty in time for it to come into effect on 1 January 2009 as planned.
Read article at theparliament.com
Review into ‘widespread fiddles’ by MEPs
A review of expenses rules for MEPs was ordered yesterday after a secret report detailed widespread fiddles in the European Parliament. MEPs may lose the right to manage their annual €190,000 (£145,000) staff budget after a number of scams were discovered, including paying large sums to political parties or to arm’s-length companies with no employees. The review was announced by senior MEPs only days after they rejected the EU Ombudsman’s call to publish full details of staff and travel expenses, arguing that this would breach privacy considerations.
Read article in The Times (UK)
March 11, 2008
EU treaty bill clears the Commons
The EU's controversial new Lisbon Treaty has cleared the House of Commons, with the bill now moving on to the House of Lords. Parliamentarians voted by 346 to 206 on Tuesday to give the bill, which enshrines the new treaty into law, a third reading, after 14 days of debate which included a vote on an amendment, which was rejected, proposing a referendum on the treaty.
Read AFP news report at google.com
March 10, 2008
EU citizens can 'no longer fathom' EU project
More than 50 years after the creation of the EU, the ‘aims and meaning’ of the European project remain unanswered, according to bishops from around Europe. They say that ratification of the reform treaty will still not solve these “crucial” questions. That was the keynote message to emerge from the plenary assembly of the commission of the bishops’ conference of the European community (COMECE).
Read article at theparliament.com
March 7, 2008
Lack of date for Lisbon Treaty poll angers Yes and No sides
THE LISBON Treaty Referendum Bill was published yesterday but the Government has been criticised for refusing to name the date for the vote, despite calls to do so from supporters and opponents of the treaty. Stephen Collins, Political Editor, reports. Speaking at the launch of the Bill, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern said the Government had not yet made a decision on the date of the referendum but he pointed to the fact that the Taoiseach had given a commitment that the Referendum Commission would be given in or around 90 days to do its work.
Read article in the Irish Times (Ireland)
March 6, 2008
UK set to ratify EU treaty by summer
Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, last night fought off opposition Conservative attempts to force him to hold a referendum on the new European Union Lisbon treaty, clearing the way for Britain to ratify the controversial text before the summer break. But a marathon 12-day debate confirmed the toxicity of Europe as an issue in the UK and ended with significant rebellions from the ruling Labour party. Mr Brown defeated calls for a referendum by 311 votes to 248, a government majority of 63, even though 29 Labour MPs are thought to have voted with the Conservatives.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
Comment: If you live in the UK and would like to see how your MP voted, click here.
March 5, 2008
MEP makes 'fraud' report public
Dutch MEP Paul van Buitenen has published a confidential internal report on abuse of staff allowances described by a colleague as "dynamite". The report highlights money paid for non-existent staff via a system of "service providers" or accountants.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
Comment: To read Paul van Buitenen’s press release and download the report, click here.
European Parliament members face challenge over expenses
Members of the European Parliament could face a legal challenge over the decision to keep secret all details of how they spend £180 million in expenses each year. The Daily Telegraph has obtained details of a letter sent by a secretive "bureau" of senior MEPs that refuses to publish details of how individual members have benefited from publicly-funded allowances. The letter, sent to Nikiforos Diamandouros, the European Ombudsman, follows his ruling of "maladministration" over the issue. A journalist who filed the original petition to the ombudsman has vowed to challenge the parliament's response through the courts "as far as the law allows".
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
March 3, 2008
Ahern emerges as possible candidate for EU presidency
Bertie Ahern, the prime minister of Ireland , has emerged as a possible candidate for the Europe Union's first full-time president amid uncertainty over whether the bloc is seeking a global figure like Tony Blair or a lower-profile fixer.
Read article in the International Herald Tribune
Ex-EU parliament president calls for 'thorough' probe into alleged scam
A former president of parliament has demanded a “full and thorough” investigation into an alleged MEP expenses scam. The call, by Pat Cox, follows the furore over parliament’s refusal to publish a report by its internal auditor which is said to detail widespread abuse of the expenses regime. The report has been forwarded to Olaf, the EU’s anti-fraud office.
Read article at theparliament.com
MPs face EU referendum pressure after poll
MPs were under huge pressure to support a referendum on the new EU treaty after the biggest test of public opinion on the issue so far showed almost 90 per cent of voters want a ballot. More than 133,000 of the 152,000 people who responded in a series of mini-referendums backed a national vote on the Lisbon Treaty, which would transfer more of Britain's sovereignty to Brussels. The results intensify the pressure on Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs - particularly those with slender majorities - to defy the leadership of their parties and back a Tory bid to secure a referendum in a Commons vote this week. Gordon Brown has consistently refused to grant a national vote, insisting Britain's interests are not threatened, but campaigners said Sunday's poll results sent a "clear message" to MPs that the public want their say.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
February 28, 2008
Poland to ratify Lisbon treaty by parliamentary vote
The lower house of the Polish parliament has adopted a resolution on the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by parliamentary vote. During a parliamentary assembly, 357 out of a total of 460 deputies voted in favour of adopting the treaty by means of such a process, whereas 55 voted against and seven abstained. The parliament now has to adopt a resolution authorising Polish president Lech Kaczynski to sign the Lisbon Treaty.
Read article at forbes.com
Protesters march on Westminster for EU ballot
Protesters staged a mass rally outside Parliament Wednesday to demand a referendum on the transfer of powers from Westminster to Brussels . The demonstration came ahead of a crucial Commons vote next week on whether to hold a national vote on the revived European constitution. The event brought together MPs of all parties, trades unionists and members of the public in a joint effort to force Parliament to give the people a say on the Lisbon Treaty.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
February 27, 2008
Blair 'wrong man' for EU president
Tony Blair is the “wrong man” to become president of the EU, says one of Europe 's heavyweight political figures. Once the Lisbon treaty is fully ratified on 1 January, the post is to replace the EU’s current rotating presidency. Though he is yet to declare himself a candidate, Blair has been widely touted for the job, with notable backing from French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Jean-Claude Juncker, the veteran EU-friendly Luxembourg premier, is another possible candidate. However, Viscount Etienne Davignon, a former European commission vice president, said the former Labour party leader “lacks the legitimacy” for the prestigious post. He said: “There are very significant obstacles to Blair becoming EU president.
Read article at theparliament.com
MEPs vote to keep their expenses scams secret
Senior members of the European Parliament turned their fire on a whistle-blower for disclosing the existence of a confidential report into widespread misuse of expenses yesterday as they voted for it to stay secret. Chris Davies, a Liberal Democrat who broke ranks to reveal that an internal auditor had found a number of scams being operated by MEPs, was attacked for misusing private information and for rarely turning up to committee meetings. MEPs on the Budget Control Committee voted by 21 to 14 not to publish the report, with the support of the two main groups in Parliament, the European People’s Party, which includes the Conservatives, and the Socialists, including Labour.
Read article in The Times (UK)
Comment: This disgraceful development reflects everything that is wrong with the European Union and, as if one was even needed, is yet another reason to oppose the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
February 21, 2008
EU politicians accused of ‘massive’ fraud
The European Union’s anti-fraud agency is to investigate whether parliamentarians have been pocketing staff allowances after a damning internal audit. Olaf, the anti-fraud office, said on Wednesday it had asked for a copy of the confidential report, which exposes misuse of the €140m annual staff budget. “It is potentially of interest to us,” Olaf said. The report reveals cases of people claiming for staff they do not employ and routing payments through fake agencies. Shocked MEPs who read the report called in the financial watchdog. Its contents were “dynamite”, said Chris Davies, a British Liberal. “These allegations ... should lead to the imprisonment of a number of MEPs,” he said. “It is fraud and embezzlement on a massive scale.”
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
Comment: In a sign of how paranoid the European Parliament is about this report getting out in advance of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, it is currently being held in a locked room and only members of the budgetary control committee such as Mr Davies can enter to read it. Even then however, they are not allowed to take notes and must sign a confidentiality agreement.
February 20, 2008
The EU Reform Treaty: A Threat to the Transatlantic Alliance
After French President Nicolas Sarkozy's and German Chancellor Angela Merkel's successful visits to Washington, D.C., U.S. policymakers might be forgiven for thinking that U.S. strategic interests are now in safe hands in continental Europe. However, this optimism discounts the enormous threat posed by the Reform Treaty, which was signed in Lisbon on December 13 and is little more than the European Constitution with a cosmetic makeover. Under Chancellor Merkel's personal leadership, the European Union breathed life back into the rejected European Constitution, recasting it as the Reform Treaty. It still contains the building blocks of a United States of Europe and will shift power from the member states of the EU to Brussels in critical areas of policymaking, including defense, security, and energy--areas in which the United States finds more traction on a bilateral basis. The treaty is a blueprint for restricting the sovereign right of EU member states to determine their own foreign policies, and it poses a unique threat to the British- American Special Relationship. Above all, the treaty underscores the EU's ambitions to become a global power and challenge American leadership on the world stage.
Read study by Sally McNamara on the website of The Heritage Foundation (USA)
Comment: This study is particularly notable for the fact that it recommends the United States should support calls for the United Kingdom and other European Union member states to hold referenda on the Lisbon Treaty.
Stop Blair: ambition to lead Europe hits fierce opposition
EU track record and Iraq seen as obstacles to getting new post of president
Tony Blair's hopes of becoming Europe's first president are running into mounting opposition across the EU, with Germany determined to stymie the former prime minister. A "Stop Blair" website run by pro-Europeans has launched a petition against him; a transnational, cross-party caucus in the European parliament is forming to campaign against a Blair presidency; senior officials in Brussels are privately dismissive about the new post going to a Briton; and senior diplomats in European capitals also doubt that Blair is the right person for the post being created under Europe's new reform treaty.
Read article in The Guardian (UK)
EU treaty ratification may be delayed in Germany
Formal ratification of the EU treaty in Germany may be delayed, meaning the bloc's biggest member state would not sign off the treaty in time for it to come into force across all member states at the beginning of 2009 as planned. According to a report in German daily Die Welt, politicians from the Left Party as well as Peter Gauweiler, a centre-right politician from one of governing parties -the CSU - are examining the text of the EU treaty to see if they can bring a case before the country's constitutional court. Their move could mean that the final formal step of ratification is delayed.
Read article at euobserver.com
February 14, 2008
Proposed shake up of EU security includes call for fingerprinting all visitors
A top EU official on Wednesday proposed fingerprinting and screening all visitors who cross the bloc's borders — and using a satellite system to keep out illegal immigrants — as part of a massive shake up of security at Europe's borders. The proposals, if approved by all 27 EU governments, would represent one of the largest security overhauls in the European Union and could cost billions of dollars. Critics said it would move Europe toward a "Big Brother" society, calling the proposed measures a violation of privacy rights.
Read article in the International Herald Tribune
Comment: Has the Mafia taken over in Brussels? Click here to decide for yourself.
France ratifies EU reform treaty
France has formally ratified the Lisbon Treaty, with its publication in the country's official journal. It is the fifth country to approve the reform treaty and the first of the EU's founder members to do so.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
Gordon Brown backs Blair's run for EU job
Tony Blair has received official Government backing to campaign for the post of the European Union's first permanent president after Gordon Brown's Europe minister said he would be "great" at the job. Jim Murphy, the Foreign Office minister in charge of EU policy, told The Spectator that he would give Mr Blair every assistance needed to make a successful campaign.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
February 13, 2008
Nick Clegg faces EU treaty rebellion
Nick Clegg is facing his first serious revolt as Liberal Democrat leader, with a quarter of his MPs defying him over Europe. The rift, over whether to back calls for a referendum on the European Union treaty, has given hope to campaigners that they could win a Commons vote next month. Like Labour, the Lib Dems fought the last general election promising a referendum on the European Constitution, which was abandoned in 2005.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
Comment: Of the Liberal Democrats' 63 MPs, as many as 16 may be prepared to defy Mr Clegg, either by voting with the Conservative Party - the UK’s largest opposition party, who are trying to force a referendum on the treaty - or by abstaining.
February 8, 2008
French parliament backs EU treaty
France's parliament has voted to adopt the EU reform treaty, three years after a French No dealt a fatal blow to the European Constitution. MPs approved the law by a margin of 336-52 and the upper house, the Senate, later also approved the vote. Now it has passed, President Nicolas Sarkozy will ratify the treaty. Hungary, Malta, Slovenia and Romania have already done so. Ireland is the only EU member state due to hold a referendum on the treaty.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
February 7, 2008
Slovakia's Vote on Lisbon Treaty Ratification Postponed Indefinitely
Slovakia's Parliamentary Chairman Pavol Paska on Thursday in Parliament again postponed the vote on the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon indefinitely. Opposition parties SDKU-DS, KDH and SMK, for the third time on the trot, nullified the vote by vacating the House.
Read article at sktoday.com (Slovakia)
Portuguese parliament rejects treaty referendum
The Portuguese parliament rejected Thursday a demand from four parties for the ratification of the new EU reform treaty by referendum.
Read article at eubusiness.com
February 5, 2008
Blair tests ground for EU presidency
Tony Blair is for the first time letting it be known that he is open to the idea of campaigning to become the European Union's first full-time president, a post that will be filled by EU member states later this year.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
February 4, 2008
French vote passed on EU treaty
A special congress of the French parliament meeting at Versailles has taken a significant step towards ratifying the EU's new reform treaty. More than 900 MPs and senators voted on Monday to delete a reference in the French constitution to the ill-fated EU constitutional treaty.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
Comment: The Financial Times reports that President Sarkozy, speaking in Paris last week, has openly admitted that if France held a referendum it would force Britain to do so too. Notably therefore, according to one recent opinion poll, 58 per cent of French voters want a referendum on the new treaty.
January 31, 2008
Nazi-era comparison prompts row
A British Euro MP has been threatened with expulsion from the EPP group of MEPs after likening new powers with those given to Hitler in 1933. The European Parliament's German president Hans-Gert Poettering has been given extra powers to curb disruptions after protests by Eurosceptic MEPs.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
Comment: The vote that gave Mr Poetting his extra powers has quite rightly been branded a 'dark day for democracy', as, from now on, he effectively has arbitrary powers to interpret EU parliamentary rules as he sees fit. Clearly, the EU is increasingly moving towards dictatorship, rather than democracy. If you live in Europe, we urge you to sign the petition demanding that all European citizens are immediately given the opportunity to vote in referendums on the Lisbon Treaty, by clicking here.
January 29, 2008
Irish minister wants EU treaty vote before summer
Irish minister of state for European affairs Dick Roche has said that he would like a referendum on the Lisbon treaty within the first half of the year. "I have argued in favour of the first half of the year," said Roche. But he concluded that the date would be "a little way off".
Read article at theparliament.com
January 28, 2008
Anger as debate on EU treaty is cut
Gordon Brown has caused anger among MPs by trying to cut in half the amount of time Parliament will have to debate the EU Reform Treaty. Backbenchers from both parties warned last night that the Prime Minister's move - which they will try, jointly, to defeat in a Commons vote on Monday - will fuel calls for a referendum.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
January 27, 2008
MPs kept in the dark over EU treaty
MPs are being asked to vote on the revised EU treaty without key information about the powers it will create, a leaked document suggests. The paper, from the office of the president of the EU, reveals that matters such as the possibility of a European army and the powers of an EU president will not be determined until after the revived constitution has been pushed through. Other issues include how the proposed EU diplomatic service will work, the powers of the new EU foreign minister and whether the European police office, Europol, will be able to expand its activities.
Read article in the Sunday Times (UK)
January 21, 2008
Greens will not take party stance on Lisbon Treaty
The Greens will not be able to take a party position on the Lisbon Treaty following the failure to secure a two-thirds majority in favour of the treaty at a special convention at the weekend. The vote of 63 to 37 per cent in favour of the treaty at the Green party's special convention in Dublin on Saturday fell short of the required two-thirds majority required to adopt an official party position. As a result, the Green Party as such will not participate in the referendum debate, although individual members will be involved on both sides. The party's six TDs and two Senators all favour a Yes vote.
Read article in the Irish Times (Ireland)
January 21, 2008
Commons battle due on EU treaty
The House of Commons is to begin what is expected to be up to 20 days debate on whether to ratify the Lisbon Treaty. Eighteen Labour and four nationalist MPs have signed an amendment calling for a referendum on the document - which the government has ruled out. The demand follows a Commons foreign affairs committee report saying that parts of the treaty mirror the abandoned EU Constitution.
Read article at BBC News (UK)
January 19, 2008
Tell truth on EU treaty, say MPs
The battle over the EU Reform Treaty has been reignited after an influential committee of MPs said that the document is no different to the defunct EU Constitution. As the Government prepares to debate the treaty in the House of Commons, a report by the foreign affairs select committee concludes that it cedes vital powers to Brussels and that ministers are misleading the public by saying that it does not.
Read article in the Daily Telegraph (UK)
January 16, 2008
French deputies adopt constitutional change for EU treaty
French deputies adopted Wednesday a revision of the country's constitution to allow a new EU reform treaty to be ratified by parliament, despite criticism that it should be voted on in a referendum. The measure was adopted by a vote of 304 to 77, with 100 lawmakers choosing to abstain. The Senate must next vote on the text January 29, before its final adoption by both houses on February 4.
Read article at eubusiness.com
January 15, 2008
Lisbon treaty delays put president's start in doubt
The European Union's first full-time president may not be able to start work as planned on January 1 next year, because of delays in ratifying the treaty that creates the job, according to EU diplomats. Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Sweden and the UK are five countries in which the ratification process could stretch well into the second half of this year, meaning that it would difficult to meet the January 1 target. Under the EU's Lisbon treaty, the new president will serve a two-and-a-half year, renewable term, replacing the practice under which each member-state holds the presidency for six months in turn.
Read article in the Financial Times (UK)
January 10, 2008
Portugal yields on EU treaty referendum
A referendum on the controversial redrafted EU constitution was ruled out by Portugal yesterday after pressure from Gordon Brown and President Sarkozy. The Prime Minister and Mr Sarkozy called José Sócrates, the Portuguese Prime Minister, to insist that a popular ballot was not necessary.
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article in The Times (UK)
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