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Merkel's Two Front Battle

Blair Taking a Tough Line on the EU Treaty

Two days before the crucial summit on the EU treaty to replace the stalled constitution, British Prime Minister Tony Blair is digging in his heels. Britain, he says, will not give up any sovereignity. But he may be making life difficult for his successor.

While Europe focuses on Warsaw's intransigence over the new draft treaty to replace the failed European Union constitution, another source of dissent is coming from the other end of Europe. Britain continues to say that it is willing to block any treaty that smacks too much of a constitution and that transfers too much power to Brussels.

While Poland's beef with the draft treaty is a new voting system, which it claims decreases the influence of smaller countries, Britain has a whole list of key areas that it will not compromise on.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel may now have to fight the battle on two fronts if she wants to succeed in pushing through the treaty at the summit of EU leaders that begins on Thursday in Brussels.

Merkel is hoping to replace the moribund constitution with a treaty that gives the European Union a "single legal personality," and a legally-binding Charter of Fundamental Rights, something London is firmly rejecting.

With just two days to go until the showdown summit, it seems outgoing British Prime Minister Tony Blair doesn’t want his swansong to be the loss of British sovereignty. On Monday he told a parliamentary committee: "Europe needs to work more effectively. What it does not need is a constitutional treaty." And he laid out a series of "red lines" that could not be breached during the negotiations this week.

"We will not accept a treaty that allows the Charter of Fundamental Rights to change UK law in any way," he said. He added that he would not agree to a treaty that would displace "the role of British foreign policy and our foreign minister" -- a reference to previous plans to establish the position of European Union foreign minister. Blair also indicated that he wouldn't give up control over "our common law and judicial and police system." Britain is hoping for an opt-out in those areas and in tax and benefit policy.

Blair, who leaves office next Wednesday, has his eye on the Eurosceptic press and the opposition Conservatives waiting to pounce on any hint of loss of sovereignty to Brussels. The influential mass-circulation Sun newspaper last week launched a "seven days to save Britain" campaign and urged Blair to stop a "surrender of British power to Brussels." British business leaders have likewise voiced concern that the proposed rights charter could give workers more rights to strike.

Mark Francois, Europe spokesman for the Conservatives, dismissed Blair's "red lines" as "red herrings," adding: "He said nothing about a new EU president or giving the EU the right to sign treaties."

British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett is also indicating that Britain will take a tough line in Brussels. On Sunday she told the BBC, "We do not want to see a constitutional treaty or a treaty that has the characteristics of a constitution," adding that Britian was only interested in "tidying up the rule book of the EU."

British Government Divided on Referendum

The treaty issue has exposed divisions within Britain's ruling Labour Party. With Blair leaving office next Wednesday, his successor Gordon Brown will have the frustrating experience of not being part of the extremely important negotiations in Europe, ones that will affect his future government.

If Britain agrees to a deal this week, it will give Brown an influential position in Europe but give the Conservatives a gift in election campaigns and probably alienate the largely Eurosceptic press. But if the UK blocks the agreement, he will take over with Britain having annoyed leaders across Europe. Brown is now indicating that he might hold a referendum on the treaty once he takes over. Europe Minister Geoff Hoon told the BBC on Sunday that Brown would hold a referendum if significant powers were transferred to the EU at Thursday's summit.

But this was roundly rejected by the Blair camp. They insist that Blair will block any deal not in the national interest so that there will be no need for a referendum. "The question of a referendum will not arise because we will not sign up to anything that breaches our red lines," a Downing Street spokesman said.

Blair had promised a referendum on the EU constitution which had been agreed on by the member states in 2004. While it was always highly unlikely that the British voters would accept such a treaty, they never got the chance to vote. France and the Netherlands rejected it in referenda in 2005, after which British plans for a vote were put on ice.

Now Blair is hoping that he will win a deal on a slimmed-down treaty this week, so that a public vote can be avoided altogether.

The Franco-Spanish Alliance

Any hopes of a London-Paris accord, after the election of center-right French President Nicolas Sarkozy, to ensure a slimmed-down treaty that did not include the Charter of Fundamental Rights faded this weekend, when France agreed to a joint proposal with Spain on Sunday to present a 10-point program for the new treaty.

Sarkozy and Spanish Prime Minister Luis Rodriguez Zapatero agreed to preserve the "advances" of the old EU constitution within a new "simplified" treaty. The joint proposal, which is to be presented to EU foreign ministers currently meeting in Luxembourg, calls for the inclusion of many parts of the failed EU constitution, including the charter and a common EU foreign minister. According to the Telegraph newspaper, British officials are surprised and "dismayed" by the new Franco-Spanish alliance.

Sarkozy had been due to visit London on Tuesday to meet with both Blair and Brown but he cancelled the trip. The men will hold a teleconference instead.

smd/ap/reuters