Margaret Thatcher, speaking in the British House of Commons on 8 April 1975, during the referendum debate on EC membership: “First, the case for being in the Common Market. I believe, with a number of hon. Members who spoke yesterday, that the paramount case for being in is the political case for peace and security. [...]

“Do you know what it means for me to see for the first time in 50 years a French European commissioner in charge of the internal market, including financial services, including the City [of London]?” “I want the world to see the victory of the European model, which has nothing to do with the excesses [...]

José Manuel Barroso was yesterday given a second term as Commission president by the European Parliament, which voted 382 for, 210 against with 117 abstentions.  This was an unexpectedly large majority – in fact the absolute majority which the Lisbon Treaty would have required.  Barroso rightly claimed “reinforced authority” after this decisive victory, but what [...]

‘Shadow’ Foreign Minister William Hague’s speech yesterday to the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, seems not to have been influenced by the débacle marking the first stage of the new Conservative policy towards Europe.   The Conservatives gave up their alliance with the European Parliament  election winner, the European People’s Party (EPP), in [...]

The German Constitutional Court judgment is likely to provoke parliaments in other Member States to seek ways of controlling their governments when acting in the EU Council.  Were they all to choose the Danish model, the consequences for Council negotiations would be dramatic.    There is a need anyway for national parliaments to buy in [...]

German Constitutional Court, ratification of Lisbon Treaty The German Constitutional Court cleared the way for German ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, subject to legislation being adopted requiring parliamentary approval of EU decisions which affect core German state competences.  The government plans to present the necessary bill for a first reading in August and a [...]

Faites vos jeux!  Who will be the four bastions of the Union’s future when the Lisbon Treaty comes into force?     Commission                Barroso? Parliament                  Buzek? European Council         Blair? ‘Foreign Minister’         Bildt?   The odds are shortening on the four Bs. 

Solidarity has always been an important part of the foundations of the European Union.  While it is clearly much more difficult to achieve solidarity among 27 Member States than 15 or less, this spirit is seriously lacking during the current economic and financial crises.  But sadly this is a reflection on human nature.  The Union [...]

Commission   Commission Vice-President Günter Verheugen considers that late payments by public authorities are “intolerable” and lead to SMEs going bankrupt.   How right he is.  However, the Commission is one of the worst offenders, with its cumbersome and arcane rules.  The European Ombudsman has opened a new investigation into the timeliness of payments by the [...]

The following letter has just been published in the European Voice:   The European Voice editorial ‘Next Commission president must be appointed in June’ (19-25 March) refers to “the centre-right governments , which are likely to have a majority of MEPs in the next European Parliament and therefore to appoint the next European Commission president.” [...]