EU Constitution
WORKERS, JULY 2007
At the 21-22 June summit, EU leaders agreed to redraft the Constitutional Treaty as two Treaties: a Treaty on the European Union and a Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. EU diplomats will refine them between 23 July and 18 October and the EU's leaders hope to agree them on 19 October.
As Chancellor Merkel said, "the substance of the constitution is preserved. That is a fact." As she explained, the Treaties would use 'different terminology without changing the legal substance'. She wrote, "A certain number of member States underlined the importance of avoiding the impression which might be given by the symbolism and the title 'Constitution' that the nature of the Union is undergoing a radical change." Giscard d'Estaing, the Constitution's author, said, "This text is, in fact, a rerun of the great part of the substance of the Constitutional Treaty."
The EU's leaders aim to give the EU a single legal personality, a corporate existence overriding the sovereignties of its member states. This is to set up a legally new state. "The two Treaties constitute the Treaties on which the Union is founded and the Union replaces and succeeds the Community."
Romano Prodi said that giving the EU a legal personality would be 'a gigantic leap forward. Europe can now play its role on the world stage thanks to its legal personality." The French government says, "The European Union naturally has a vocation to be a permanent member of the Security Council, and the Constitution will allow it to be, by giving it legal personality."
The Labour government has dramatically increased the pace of ceding powers to the EU: since 1997 it has given up vetoes in 140 different areas; Major's government gave up 15, Thatcher 13. In the Treaty negotiations, the government has so far given up vetoes in 69 areas, those already mentioned plus others including transport, public health, science, energy policy, tourism, culture, space and sport.
This is far more than ceded in the Single European Act or the Maastricht, Amsterdam or Nice Treaties. Blair claims that his 'opt-outs', 'emergency brakes', 'declarations' and 'explanations' can override Treaty law, even though the front cover of the 'explanations' says that they 'do not as such have the status of law'.
Referendum Now!
On 20 April 2004, Blair told the House of Commons, "The referendum should go ahead in any event. Of course it should." He said on 18 April 2005, "I've always said we'll have a vote on the Constitution. It doesn't matter what other countries do; we'll have a vote on the Constitution." And on 13 May 2005, "Even if the French voted No, we would have a referendum. This is a government promise." Just three weeks later, the French voted no and the Labour government broke that promise, Blair saying, "there is no point in having a referendum, because of the uncertainty it would produce.
The EU was always about merger not cooperation. As its founder Jean Monnet said long ago, "Cooperation is all very well, but what we require is a fusion of states."
All during the negotiations for the Treaty, the Labour government kept saying, 'we cannot accept' – and then rolled over and accepted. The EU's leaders are now on the verge of seizing state power over us all, without popular mandate, consent or support.
This would be a coup against the peoples of Europe. We must demand a referendum so that we can say YES to Britain and independence, NO to the EU and rule by Brussels.