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Rajoy: "We can live without the European constitution"

The Spain Herald
June 7, 2005

PP president Mariano Rajoy on Monday called for "lowering the temperature" of the debate over the European constitutional treaty now that France and Holland have declined to ratify it and Great Britain has decided to delay its referendum. Rajoy believes it is time to "explain to the citizens that we can live without the treaty," though the PP had supported a Yes vote in the Spanish referendum in February. According to Rajoy's statements at a meeting of the PP's executive committee, it is time to admit to the Spanish people what reality is and explain that there are some, like Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schröder, in favor of continuing ahead with the process of ratifying the treaty, while others favor stopping the process. In this situation, he said, the PP should transmit "reality" to public opinion, that the constitution "is almost mortally wounded, but this does not mean there will be a legal or governmental vacuum." Rajoy emphasized that Spain must not allow the constitution to be passed piece by piece, so that only those articles related to the apportionment of power and the voting system go into effect. He pointed out that Zapatero's "following" of Schröder and Chirac has done no good because, when there are important summit meetings like yesterday's, "they don't call him." "Now Spain has to regain its position in Europe, contribute ideas, and begin a process of repairing our diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom and the United States," he said. In reference to the debate over EU subsidies, Rajoy warned prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero that he must "accept his responsibility, because there are six trillion old pesetas in play, capital for improving infrastructure. We all hope you will live up to your responsibility." Rajoy pointed out that a failure in negotiations might leave the regions of Galicia and Castilla La Mancha without EU subsidies.


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