Aspirant nations sign rights charter

By Vaiju Naravane

NICE (FRANCE), DEC. 8. European Union leaders today began serious discussions about ways to bring about an agreement that will usher in substantive reform so that the community could be enlarged eastwards.

Some 14 countries are on the list for E.U. membership, most of them former Soviet bloc satellite states but also Turkey, Cyprus and Malta. On Thursday, they signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which could remain a dead letter, since it will not be binding.

Over a working dinner on Thursday night, discussions were reportedly frank and sometimes brutal. The E.U. spokesman, Mr. Jonathan Foll, today suggested that a consensus appeared to be emerging over the thorny question of reforming the E.U.'s outmoded institutions. Informed sources say the compromise would consist of deferring the question of reducing the number of E.U. Commissioners until January 2003 when enlargement physically begins to take place.

At present, each member nation has at least one Commissioner and small countries such as Austria, Denmark, Holland or Luxembourg have tenaciously held on to this privilege. Large countries such as France and Germany are in favour of a rotating system which would reduce the total number of Commissioners.

The most bitter debates are expected to centre around the curbing of the use of veto powers. At the moment, over 20 per cent of the E.U.'s decisions, evidently on the most key issues, has to be done by consensus.

The European Commissioner, Mr. Michel Barnier, described the Summit as ``the toughest we have ever witnessed. Every leader has his national interests at heart and there will have to be a genuine give and take if we are to get somewhere.''

The British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, has said he will accept Qualified Majority Vote (QMV) in 17 of the 52 areas under discussion. He says he will not give up his veto on taxation, defence, social security, border controls or changes to the E.U. treaty.

Germany wants to retain its veto on immigration and asylum policies, Greece on the question of transport in order to protect its shipping interests.

The Luxembourg Prime Minister, Mr. Jean-Claude Junker, said: ``We cannot afford to fail.''

While there was agreement on the creation of a European Health Authority, the 15 leaders failed to extend the temporary six- month ban placed on the use of meat and bone meal for animal feed. Despite the apparent determination by the leaders to put up a unified front, the first dissensions began emerging on the opening day of the Summit itself.

The French President, Mr. Jacques Chirac's remarks that the newly-created European Rapid Deployment Force would coordinate with the NATO but remain independent of the latter in planning and implementation, drew an immediate reaction Mr. Blair and his Foreign Secretary, Mr. Robin Cook.

Mr Blair said there was no question of Britain agreeing to an independent planning capability for the force. Echoing Mr. Blair's remarks, Mr. Cook said: ``The E.U. attaches importance to the guaranteed permanent access to NATO's planning capacity; and that is the basis on which we will be developing any E.U.-led operation. Europe will only carry out operations where the NATO is not engaged. If NATO wants to be engaged, it has first call.''

After the violent clashes which marred the opening of the Summit - both Mr Chirac and the Prime Minister, Mr. Lionel Jospin, received a whiff of the tear gas shells police were exploding just outside the mammoth Acropolis building where the Summit is being held - an uneasy calm has returned to Nice with demonstrations being staged against the arrest of protesters yesterday.

Trade unions and anti-globalisation demonstrators who were trying to hold a counter summit were repulsed with force by police in this Riviera city where the extreme right is strong.

A local official made no effort to disguise his distaste for the demonstrators whom he described as being ``no friends of mine''. Twenty policemen were injured, one of them seriously, while over 60 persons were arrested.

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Section  : International
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