Report from the Summit

Written by Andrew Duff MEP and published in Liberal Democrat News on Sat 26th Jun 2004

European summits often cast magic spells. The Brussels European Council of 17-18 June was more magical than usual. A novel solution to the trickiest of issues was pulled out of the hat.

The problem, if you recall, was to agree a new formula for establishing a qualified majority in the Council the old one, in the Treaty of Nice, having been found wanting on the grounds of logic, efficiency and fair play. The Poles and the Spanish brought the constitutional negotiations to a juddering halt in December last year when they were faced with being downgraded in the voting pecking order. The Convention that drafted the new constitution made the simple proposal that the QMV should be achieved by at least half the member states (that is, 13 out of 25) representing 60 per cent of the population. But this worried the smaller states who could see that Germany, France and the UK acting together would be able to block any Council decision. Many other equations were tossed into the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC). My own proposal, fashionable for a moment, was 55/55. The Irish presidency of the IGC proposed 55/65. To that, others added the stipulation that at least four countries would have to comprise the blocking minority. In Brussels on Thursday Poland and some small states still objected. By Friday night the magic had worked. It was finally agreed that a qualified majority will be defined as 55 per cent of members of the Council, 'comprising at least fifteen of them' and representing 65 per cent of the population, with at least four members to block. Never mind the arithmetic. Just admire the style.

Those of us - which is all of us who have to sell the constitution to a largely hostile British public need to know that the constitutional settlement reached last Friday is the result of a rich and sophisticated negotiation. The eventual consensus, after five years of argument, is impressive. The constitution successfully modernises the newly enlarged European Union, enabling it to stand on its own two feet in world affairs. Never before have we had such a clear statement of where power lies and who exercises it. The EU's complex decision making processes are streamlined and opened up to public and parliamentary scrutiny. The citizen will be protected from abuse of the greater powers vested in the EU institutions by the Charter of Fundamental Rights, made binding by the constitution.

Tony Blair has a rather different refrain, of course, disconcertingly reminiscent of John Major's 'game, set and match' at Maastricht. UK government strategy was to insist on 'red lines' in an apparently futile attempt to persuade the Daily Mail and the Sun to back the deal. Mr Blair's defensive stance, however, is a bizarre way to go into a referendum campaign.

Whether or not he succeeds with the British, the effect of Mr Blair's performance on the rest of the EU is all too clear. He has neatly defined for the rest of his partners where they must choose to press ahead with European integration without Britain. The eurozone, in particular, is set to become more separate and autonomous from the rest of the Union, making it that much harder for Britain eventually to join the single currency. The marginalisation of Britain in Europe is a real and present danger. Liberal Democrat success in every election will help to minimise it.

Andrew Duff MEP observed the IGC for the European Parliament.