Eurotrash - The latest from Brussels

WORKERS, SEPT 2006 ISSUE

Justice veto at stake
THE EUROPEAN Commission has announced plans to abolish the national veto over criminal justice and policing. In response, the Blair government has not uttered a word against the proposals.

Franco Frattini, the European Union's justice commissioner, said, "The idea is to explore the best areas where it is possible to shift from unanimity to qualified majority vote and to co-decision with the European parliament... This is not a matter of changing the present treaty, it is not a matter of anticipating the constitution. It is just an opportunity to overcome stalemate in very sensitive areas."

The proposals would give the Commission more powers over criminal law than it would have had under the EU Constitution. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) would also benefit from the proposals, gaining jurisdiction in this area for the first time, and there are plans to speed up referrals to the ECJ by bypassing national courts.

Warning: cherry pickers at work
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is arguing that EU leaders should accept the proposals as they had already agreed to the European Constitution. He said, "We are just proposing to implement ... what was already politically accepted by all leaders of Europe when we discussed the future Constitutional treaty."

The European Commission has previously denied claims that it is "cherry-picking" parts of the rejected EU Constitution.

The corpse lives
German Europe minister, Günter Gloser, said on 27 June that the EU Constitution was "alive".

Gloser insisted that the No votes in France and the Netherlands were "accidental", arguing, "It was not the treaty which was rejected by a large proportion of those in France and the Netherlands who voted Non or Nee... More positive economic circumstances and with better information about the treaty in both countries, the referenda would probably have resulted with Oui and Ja."

So No means Yes!

top