Germany, Poland baulk at EU treaty

[Arthur Gordon Pym]

Germany, Poland baulk at EU treaty

Correspondents in Brussels | July 02, 2008

THE presidents of Poland and Germany said yesterday they would not sign the European Union's reform treaty after its defeat in an Irish referendum last month, as French President Nicolas Sarkozy took over the leadership of the EU declaring "something isn't right" with the bloc.

Poland's President, Lech Kaczynski, said it would be "pointless" to sign the Lisbon treaty, even though Poland's parliament had ratified it. All 27 EU members must ratify the document. "For the moment, the question of the treaty is pointless," he said.

Although the Polish parliament ratified the treaty in April, it still needs the President's signature. The BBC reported that Mr Kaczynski appeared to have joined his Czech counterpart in opposing treaty ratification.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus and many Czech politicians are cool on ratification.

There was another blow for the Lisbon treaty yesterday from German President Horst Kohler, who refused to complete his country's ratification. Mr Kohler decided not to sign the documents until a legal challenge was heard by the country's constitutional court - a process that could last until the northern autumn. Although the German head of state is a symbolic figure mainly, he has the power to delay legislation and can use that bought time to generate a national debate.

The move is a serious embarrassment for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who, with Mr Sarkozy, wants to keep the ratification process moving. The pair have threatened that there will be no further enlargement of the EU until the treaty is signed and sealed. Ms Merkel declared: "Europe cannot afford any pause for reflection."

Mr Sarkozy yesterday assumed the rotating presidency of the EU for the next six months and vowed to save the bloc's reputation by showing that it could improve people's lives.

Since the Irish rejection of the treaty "Super Sarko" has recast himself as would-be saviour of the EU during the six-month French presidency of the 27-nation group. He wants to rekindle trust in the EU and put the treaty - which he helped to broker a year ago - back on track by the end of his tenure. He will visit Dublin on July 11 to sound out options from Prime Minister Brian Cowen.

Mr Sarkozy opened his stint with promises to make Europe work for its people with measures on immigration, the cost of living and pollution. "The question is how we give Europe a way of protecting its citizens in their daily lives," he said on France3 television. "There is no shame in talking about protection."

Europe needed to be protected against the effects of globalisation, he added, warming to one of his favourite themes. "Europe worries people and, worse still, citizens are asking if it is not the nation state that protects them better than the union."

Mr Sarkozy's 26 colleagues, whom he summoned to a summit on the Mediterranean on July 13, had mixed feelings about his ambitions for the first presidency for France since 2000. They were pleased that the union would be chaired by one of its boldest and most energetic leaders but were nervous of his Bonapartist way of throwing his weight around.
His recent attacks on the Brussels commission and European Central Bank raised questions about his promises to act as a consensus builder.

Ms Merkel, who was chairwoman of the union a year ago, was said to have warned him about his ambition. "In Paris, Nicolas, you are the Sun King. But Europe is like Germany, a coalition of diverging interests. You need a lot of patience and skill," she was quoted as saying in Le Telegramme newspaper.

It was Ms Merkel who forced Mr Sarkozy to dilute his grand scheme for a French-led Mediterranean Union. She objected to the creation of a new club of EU-financed southern nations, including much of the Arab world.
The project has now been folded into the existing but moribund EU program for promoting development in the North African and Middle East nations on the Mediterranean.

Agencies

[source]

[Monolith]

Mr Sarkozy opened his stint with promises to make Europe work for its people with measures on immigration, the cost of living and pollution. "The question is how we give Europe a way of protecting its citizens in their daily lives," he said on France3 television. "There is no shame in talking about protection."

Europe needed to be protected against the effects of globalisation, he added, warming to one of his favourite themes. "Europe worries people and, worse still, citizens are asking if it is not the nation state that protects them better than the union."

What a hypocrite he is. He's talking about protection, while he says that EU, the center of ultraliberalism and mindless birocracy, can protect people better than their nation states can.