BELGIUM: European Union leaders divided on bloc's future

European Union leaders seeking to reassure voters about the bloc's expansion ended a summit on Friday (December 15) far from united about the future shape of the union, set to grow to 27 members when Bulgaria and Romania join on January 1. Divisions remained after two days of talks about further expansion beyond that date and about whether and how to revive a stalled EU constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters. The European Commission President painted a fairly united and consensual picture of the EU's views on enlargement at the final news conference saying that the door remained opened to Turkey and that it continued to favour the western Balkans 'aspirations'. "Enlargement is our most important tool to deliver peace and stability on the continent. This summit sends out the message that we want to get our house in order to do just that . We will work on the constitutional treaty under the German presidency and this summit sends the message that ours will remain an open house. We have given new impetus to the aspirations of the western Balkans. And we have clearly kept the door open to Turkey" Yet German Chancellor Angela Merkel asked not to put too much pressure on her upcoming presidency of the European Union which begins on January 1. At the end of the summit she promised no major breakthroughs on the constitution during Germany's six months in the hot seat - an essential tool for further enlargement. "I would advise everyone not to put us under pressure. We said what we want to do ,what we must do. A road map cannot contain everything, that is obvious," Merkel said. French President Jacques Chirac said there would be no agreement from France to enlarge any further without a referendum of the French people. "Its not just for states (to decide) there are also citizens. These are important decisions, to enlarge the European Union, its legitimate that citizens be consulted and have the chance to give their approval. That's why we decided that as of Croatia, after Croatia, all enlargement should be, in France, ratified via a referendum," Chirac said. He said he expected France would be asked to put the finishing touches to any solution when it takes over the presidency in mid-2008 when most commentators expect him to have been out of office for over a year. French presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy hinted on Thursday he could block all negotiations with Turkey if elected next May, and urged conservative EU leaders to start working on an alternative "privileged partnership" with Ankara. Chirac said enlargement should not come at the cost of a financially weaker Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The treaty stalemate expected to last well into 2008. In a sign of the problems Germany faces trying to revive reform of the bloc's creaking institutions, Britain, Poland and the Czech Republic blocked a reference to ending national vetoes on police and judicial cooperation as envisaged by the charter. Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, the outgoing chairman, said the leaders agreed on the need to reform the EU's governing treaty and could not simply tear up the constitution text, which 18 countries have ratified, and start from scratch. The summit statement said that: "to sustain the integration capacity of the EU, the acceding countries must be ready and able to fully assume the obligations of Union membership" While they stopped short of setting new hurdles to future expansion and reaffirmed backing for the eventual EU membership of Turkey and the western Balkan states -- Albania, Bosnia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia -- the new mood amounted to a slowing of the enlargement process. Prospects for further enlargement are uncertain given a backlash in western Europe after the 2004 admission of 10 mostly ex-communist central and east European states and disagreement over institutional reform.

ITN Source | December 16, 2006

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