Graham Watson - Liberal Democrat MEP for South-West England and Gibraltar

Graham's blog Friday 20 June 2008

Published on Sat 21st Jun 2008

The main EU news in the UK this weekend will doubtless be 'EU pushes ahead with Lisbon Treaty despite Irish No'. I was at the summit and it was not like that at all.

First, everybody accepts that the EU will have to proceed on the basis of the existing treaties. Some countries, like the UK, have decided to continue to ratify the Lisbon Treaty in the hope that it may one day enter into force: others have made no decision yet.

Second, the Irish government asked for time and space to analyse the vote and see if they can find a way to save a Treaty which they and 26 other governments believe will improve the EU. All governments agreed, because they recognise it is an EU problem rather than just an Irish problem and hence no deadlines have been set. The EU will proceed under the current arrangements until further notice.

Third, all accept that the reforms in the Lisbon Treaty (designed to make the EU more democratic and more efficient) cannot go ahead, though many privately despair at the thought of carrying on just like before, which is the result of the Irish vote.

Will the sky fall in without the Lisbon Treaty? No. Next year's EP elections will take place as normal, the next European Commission will be appointed as before: the only real difficulties will be the lack of clear legal powers for EU action to fight climate change (making policies liable to challenge in the European Court of Justice) and the continuing inability of the bloc to stand united on the world stage (vis-a-vis the USA, for example). Probably the most worrying aspect of the Irish NO campaign is the evidence of huge financial resources which some suspect came from the American neo-Conservative right wing.

Ironically for Ireland, the number of EU Commissioners will be cut in 2009, meaning Ireland is likely to lose its Commissioner next year. (Under the Lisbon Treaty the number of Commissioners would have been reviewed only in 2014 and there was a clause which allowed the heads of state and government to decide not to cut the number: but of course nobody in Eire who voted No to 'save Ireland's Commissioner' compared the Treaty they were asked to vote on with the existing treaty provisions!).

Parliament met in Strasbourg this week and voted by a healthy majority to approve the Directive on return of illegal immigrants (see last week's newsletter). We also beefed-up European police co-operation with formal powers for Europol and agreed on the liberalisation of electricity markets, which will help limit the rise in energy prices.

On Wednesday we debated the preparations for the summit. The debate focused almost entirely on the Irish referendum result. (For my speech, see www.grahamwatsonmep.org)

I travelled to Rome on Wednesday afternoon to meet the leader of the Democratic Party (the major opposition party, some of whose MEPs sit in my Group) and address a conference of Liberal Democrats from five continents (speech also on my website); and to Brussels excruciatingly early Thursday morning to receive the Liberal Democrat prime ministers ahead of the European Council ('summit') meeting.

I am pleased to report that the 27 prime ministers (including our five) later agreed a lot of measures which will make the EU more relevant to the lives of each and every citizen. Action on custody of children in cross border matrimonial disputes, commitments to improve the rights of defendants in cross-border legal cases (especially trials in absentia) and so on. They also discussed ways of limiting food and oil price rises, but stopped short of significant government intervention in the market. (The full text of what they agreed should be available on www.europa.eu under the 'Council' or 'Consilium' section.)

What was the mood like? Pretty grim, but more of resignation than despair. To apply W B Yeats dictum about Ireland to the EU: 'Romantic Europe's dead and gone. / It's with O'Leary, in the grave'.

Bookmark this story at: del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg FacebookFacebook LibDigLibDig redditreddit StumbleUponStumbleUpon
Print this press article.
Comment on this press article.
Previous press article: Graham's blog Friday 13 June (Fri 13th Jun 2008).
Next press article: Graham's blog Friday 27 June 2008 (Fri 27th Jun 2008).

Related Press Articles:

Fri 16th Jul 2010:

Fri 9th Jul 2010:

Fri 2nd Jul 2010:

Fri 25th Jun 2010:

Fri 18th Jun 2010:

Fri 11th Jun 2010:

Fri 21st May 2010:

Fri 14th May 2010:

Fri 7th May 2010:

Thu 22nd Apr 2010:

Fri 16th Apr 2010:

Fri 9th Apr 2010:

Fri 19th Mar 2010:

Fri 12th Mar 2010:

Fri 5th Mar 2010:

Fri 26th Feb 2010:

Fri 12th Feb 2010:

Fri 5th Feb 2010:

Fri 29th Jan 2010:

Fri 22nd Jan 2010:

Fri 15th Jan 2010:

Fri 18th Dec 2009:

Fri 11th Dec 2009:

Fri 4th Dec 2009:

Fri 27th Nov 2009:

Fri 20th Nov 2009:

Fri 6th Nov 2009:

Fri 23rd Oct 2009:

Fri 9th Oct 2009:

Fri 2nd Oct 2009:

Fri 18th Sep 2009:

Fri 11th Sep 2009:

Fri 4th Sep 2009:

Fri 24th Jul 2009:

Fri 17th Jul 2009:

Fri 10th Jul 2009:

Fri 3rd Jul 2009:

Mon 22nd Jun 2009:

Fri 12th Jun 2009:

Fri 8th May 2009:

Fri 1st May 2009:

Fri 24th Apr 2009:

Fri 17th Apr 2009:

Fri 27th Mar 2009:

Fri 20th Mar 2009:

Fri 13th Mar 2009:

Fri 6th Mar 2009:

Fri 27th Feb 2009:

Fri 20th Feb 2009:

Fri 13th Feb 2009:

Fri 6th Feb 2009:

Fri 30th Jan 2009:

Fri 23rd Jan 2009:

Fri 16th Jan 2009:

Fri 9th Jan 2009:

Fri 19th Dec 2008:

Fri 5th Dec 2008:

Fri 28th Nov 2008:

Fri 21st Nov 2008:

Mon 17th Nov 2008:

Fri 7th Nov 2008:

Fri 24th Oct 2008:

Fri 17th Oct 2008:

Fri 10th Oct 2008:

Fri 3rd Oct 2008:

Fri 26th Sep 2008:

Fri 19th Sep 2008:

Fri 12th Sep 2008:

Fri 5th Sep 2008:

Sat 30th Aug 2008:

Fri 18th Jul 2008:

Fri 11th Jul 2008:

Fri 4th Jul 2008:

Fri 27th Jun 2008:

Fri 13th Jun 2008:

Fri 6th Jun 2008:

Fri 23rd May 2008:

Fri 16th May 2008:

Fri 9th May 2008:

Fri 25th Apr 2008:

Fri 18th Apr 2008:

Fri 11th Apr 2008:

Fri 4th Apr 2008:

Fri 28th Mar 2008:

Thu 20th Mar 2008:

Fri 14th Mar 2008:

Fri 7th Mar 2008:

Fri 29th Feb 2008:

Fri 22nd Feb 2008:

Fri 15th Feb 2008:

Fri 1st Feb 2008:

Fri 25th Jan 2008:

Fri 18th Jan 2008:

Fri 11th Jan 2008:

Fri 21st Dec 2007:

Sat 15th Dec 2007:

Sun 9th Dec 2007:

Thu 29th Nov 2007:

Fri 23rd Nov 2007:

Fri 16th Nov 2007:

Fri 9th Nov 2007:

Fri 19th Oct 2007:

Mon 15th Oct 2007:

Fri 5th Oct 2007:

Fri 28th Sep 2007:

Fri 21st Sep 2007:

Fri 14th Sep 2007:

Fri 7th Sep 2007:

Fri 31st Aug 2007:

Fri 13th Jul 2007:

Fri 6th Jul 2007:

Fri 29th Jun 2007:

Fri 22nd Jun 2007:

Fri 15th Jun 2007:

Fri 25th May 2007:

Fri 18th May 2007:

Fri 11th May 2007:

Fri 4th May 2007:

Fri 27th Apr 2007:

Fri 20th Apr 2007:

Sat 14th Apr 2007:

Fri 30th Mar 2007:

Fri 23rd Mar 2007:

Fri 16th Mar 2007:

Fri 9th Mar 2007:

Fri 2nd Mar 2007:

Fri 16th Feb 2007:

Fri 9th Feb 2007:

Fri 2nd Feb 2007:

Fri 26th Jan 2007:

Fri 19th Jan 2007:

Fri 12th Jan 2007:

Fri 15th Dec 2006:

Fri 8th Dec 2006:

Fri 1st Dec 2006:

Fri 24th Nov 2006:

Fri 17th Nov 2006:

Thu 9th Nov 2006:

Thu 2nd Nov 2006:

Fri 20th Oct 2006:

Fri 13th Oct 2006:

Fri 6th Oct 2006:

Fri 29th Sep 2006:

Fri 22nd Sep 2006:

Fri 7th Jul 2006:

Printed and hosted by Prater Raines Ltd, 98 Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BY.
Published and promoted by Graham Watson MEP, Bagehot's Foundry, Beards Yard, Langport, Somerset TA10 9PS.
The views expressed are those of the party, not of the service provider.