Eurotrash - The latest from Brussels
WORKERS, FEB 2007 ISSUE
Same old song...
The EU Constitution is back on the agenda after the summit of EU leaders on 14 December. They agreed a timetable to conclude negotiations on a new document by 2008. The German government will then produce a report on the future evolution of the Constitution.Addressing the German Parliament, Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "I would consider it an historical failure if we do not succeed in working out the substance of the constitutional treaty by the time the next European elections take place." The current Finnish Presidency of the EU believes that most member states are ready to keep "if not all, at least as much of the substance as possible" of the Constitution. EU Commission President Jose Barroso said, "I believe we are going to make real progress during the next presidency."
...but not everyone believes
A majority of French people believe that joining the euro five years ago was bad for their country, according to a TNS-Sofres survey published in December.
Giving up the franc for the euro was 'quite bad' or 'very bad' for France, said 52 percent of respondents; up from 45 percent three years ago. Fifty-one percent of those polled said the euro has damaged economic growth and 94 percent said it has caused price rises.
The survey found the lowest rate of approval for the euro since its introduction. "While in 2002, 59% of the respondents in the eurozone thought that the new currency was overall advantageous for their country, currently only less than half of respondents hold such a favourable opinion," it concluded.
And for the next trick...
Social Democrat members of the European Parliament recently united with conservative MEPs to pass the Services Directive. This allows all those who work in public services to work on the basis of the social laws of their country of origin, not of the laws of the country in which they are working. If it goes through all the later legislative stages, all EU member states are supposed to implement it within three years.