Germany drives talks on resurrecting EU constitution

NEGOTIATIONS on the EU constitution are gaining pace as the Germans rush to hand over a workable package to the Portuguese on June 30.

The Germans have taken a firm hand pulling together the various strands in low-key working groups without politicians being able to grandstand and out of the glare of publicity.

What they are now widely expected to produce at the end of the day is essentially the same constitution in terms of substance but in a brand new presentation.

While some are shouting “foul” and accusing the governments of working in secret to ensure they get their evil way, a good case can be made for this modus operandi.

After all, the disputed document was drawn by representatives of every parliament — both government and opposition parties — together with elected MEPs. Anybody that believes in representative democracy must acknowledge that this was done in a most democratic manner.

It pulled together a coherent organisation for the EU, acknowledging that anything that can be done at national level will not be passed onto the shared EU forum. It acknowledged that in exchange for the elected MEPs having an equal say in legislation, member states would give up the veto and instead opt for majority rule.

The size and the fact that it is being called a constitution rather than a treaty are being blamed for much of the negativity, and especially its rejection by France and the Netherlands.

So far it has been passed by 18 countries and rejected by just two. But the agreement was that all members must pass it. Now however the discussions are focusing not just on how to get the French and Dutch electorate to change their minds, but a number of other countries are taking the opportunity to raise fresh issues.

The Czech and Polish Eurosceptic leaders have said they want to change the voting structures so that they return to the old system where they were over- represented.

Britain, the only country everybody believed was certain to reject the original version is now busy trying to devise a version that will allow it renege on Tony Blair’s promise to put it to a vote and pass it in parliament instead.

France’s new president Nicholas Sarkozy believes he could not deliver it in another vote either and is also championing a new presentation that be approved by parliament.

That leaves the Dutch whose parliament has agreed that what it wants is more power. They say that if a majority of parliaments are not in favour of legislation despite it being negotiated by their governments and diplomats, then it must get the chop.