EU summit: A step forward for Europe but a victory for nobody

1.29.09pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 23rd Jun 2007

Welcoming agreement on the outlines of a mandate for the next Intergovernmental Conference, Graham Watson MEP (leader of the Liberals & Democrats in the European Parliament) said:

"The devil will be in the detail. This is a step forward for Europe but a victory for nobody."

"The difficulty in reaching agreement between 27 countries underlines the need for a revised Treaty."

"EU integration will continue to be driven by developments in the outside world rather than idealism from within."

"We must create a Union fit for purpose and we do not have the luxury of time."

Andrew Duff (UK, Lib Dem and ALDE constitutional affairs spokesperson) commented:

"This was a difficult agreement to reach, and showed the Council, forced to work by unanimity, at its worst. The IGC which is now scheduled to open next month subject to the consent of the European Parliament will have to improve upon the work of the heads of government in order to end up with a better treaty for a stronger and more democratic European Union.

"The big shock of the night was Tony Blair's determination to opt out of the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights whose only purpose is to protect the citizen from any abuse by the EU of its authority.

"The British exemption from the Charter is juridically flawed and politically unjustifiable. The fact that the UK has a common law system rather strengthens the need for extra protection of human rights and the codification of the principles of social democracy."

ENDS