JiscMail Logo
Email discussion lists for the UK Education and Research communities

Help for GERMAN-STUDIES Archives


GERMAN-STUDIES Archives

GERMAN-STUDIES Archives


GERMAN-STUDIES@JISCMAIL.AC.UK


View:

Message:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Topic:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

By Author:

[

First

|

Previous

|

Next

|

Last

]

Font:

Proportional Font

LISTSERV Archives

LISTSERV Archives

GERMAN-STUDIES Home

GERMAN-STUDIES Home

GERMAN-STUDIES  October 2003

GERMAN-STUDIES October 2003

Options

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Subscribe or Unsubscribe

Log In

Log In

Get Password

Get Password

Subject:

Fw: Lords Report Destroys Europe Myths

From:

Andrew Jameson <[log in to unmask]>

Reply-To:

Andrew Jameson <[log in to unmask]>

Date:

Thu, 30 Oct 2003 13:13:06 -0000

Content-Type:

text/plain

Parts/Attachments:

Parts/Attachments

text/plain (118 lines)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Arthurs" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, October 29, 2003 7:04 PM
Subject: LORDS REPORT DESTROYS EUROPE MYTHS

North West in Europe
Date: 29 October 2003
LORDS REPORT DESTROYS EUROPE MYTHS

The draft EU Constitutional Treaty does not create a European superstate, a
committee of eminent Peers made clear today.

The report from the House of Lords European Affairs Standing Committee puts
to the sword many of the major myths about the draft Constitutional Treaty
promoted by anti-Europeans.  The report makes clear that:

         The EU will not become a superstate: the draft makes plain the
intention that the European Union remains a union of sovereign Member
States.

         The powers of the EU flow from member states: the draft Treaty
expressly states that the Union can only act within the limits of the
competences which the Member States have conferred upon it.

         There is nothing new in the idea that EU law has primacy over UK
law this has been the case since we joined in 1972.

         There will be no tax harmonization: The draft Treaty does not
propose to extend QMV to matters of tax or social security.

         The proposals to give more power to national Parliaments help to
confirm that the European Union is a union of Member States.

        The extension of EU law in this Treaty seems relatively limited
and we repeat our earlier conclusion that it is clear that the balance of
power is going to shift from the Commission to the Member States.

Gary Arthurs, Regional Director of North West in Europe said:

The debate about the draft EU constitutional treaty has so far been clouded
by a fog of lies, scares and distortions by anti-European politicians and
newspapers. This report is an authoritative rebuttal to the idea that the
Treaty will create a superstate. In fact, as the Committee says, it will
shift the balance of power in Europe towards the member states.

The Committee is also right to urge the Government to do more to argue the
case for the new EU rulebook. There is a positive case to be made and we all
need to do more to make it.

A digest of key quotes from the report, The Future of Europe the
Convention's draft Constitutional Treaty, House of Lords Select Committee on
the European Union, published today, is set out below.

For further information, please contact Gary Arthurs on 0161 773 8448 or
07802 551634
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KEY QUOTES FROM THE LORDS REPORT

The committee concludes that the EU constitutional treaty will not create a
European superstate.

We welcome the removal of the phrase "ever closer Union". (paragraph 320)

The draft Treaty expressly states that the Union can only act within the
limits of the competences which the Member States have conferred upon it
(Article I-9(2)). We support this approach because the draft Treaty makes
plain the intention that the European Union remains a union of sovereign
Member States. (paragraph 321)

Overall, however, the draft Treaty's definition of the EU clearly sets out
for the citizen what the EU is. (paragraph 323)

The use of Union competence is expressly stated to be governed by the
principles of subsidiarity and proportionality (paragraph 326)

The draft Treaty does not propose to extend QMV to matters of tax or social
security (paragraph 339)

It is clear that the draft Treaty will not alter the way the economies of
the EU will work (paragraph 340)

The revisions to QMV are clearly designed to enhance the efficiency of the
Union (paragraph 341)

Although we have previously pressed for a red card, we accept that the
subsidiarity mechanism as it stands in the Protocol to the draft Treaty is
intended to strengthen democracy in the EU (paragraph 342)

Overall, we consider that a subsidiarity mechanism with these additional
features would indeed represent an important development of democracy in the
Union and, by clearly stating and enhancing the role of national parliaments
in helping to ensure that the Commission does not act when it should not do
so, would help to confirm that the European Union is a union of Member
States (paragraph 349)

There are clearly a number of ways in which the European Union will not be
a state, let alone a "superstate" (whatever that means), if these provisions
are agreed. Under the draft Treaty, the Union cannot do a number of things a
state can do, such as raise taxes, run a budget deficit or autonomously
raise a military force. In addition the Union can only act on competences
conferred on it by its Member States, while Article 1(5) strengthens
identities of Member States and 1(9) their independence. Member States
remain masters of constitutional change (by Treaty revision) and, for the
first time, there is express provision for a Member State to leave the Union
(paragraph 132)

A considerable range of matters have already become subject to EU law in
earlier Treaties. The extension of EU law in this Treaty seems relatively
limited by comparison and we repeat our earlier conclusion that it is clear
that the balance of power is going to shift from the Commission to the
Member States (paragraph 353). There is considerable re-assurance in the
draft Treaty for those who fear that the EU is becoming too like a state. We
will be examining more closely in a further report whether there is a need
to clarify the language of Article 10 of the draft Treaty about the primacy
of EU law which has existed since 1964 and was, according to the White Paper
(page 30), a key condition for UK membership of the EU (paragraph 135).

Top of Message | Previous Page | Permalink

JiscMail Tools


RSS Feeds and Sharing


Advanced Options


Archives

April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
April 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
November 2003
October 2003
September 2003
August 2003
July 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003
December 2002
November 2002
October 2002
September 2002
August 2002
July 2002
June 2002
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001
December 2000
November 2000
October 2000
September 2000
August 2000
July 2000
June 2000
May 2000
April 2000
March 2000
February 2000
January 2000
December 1999
November 1999
October 1999
September 1999
August 1999
July 1999
June 1999
May 1999
April 1999
March 1999
February 1999
January 1999
December 1998
November 1998
October 1998
September 1998


JiscMail is a Jisc service.

View our service policies at https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/policyandsecurity/ and Jisc's privacy policy at https://www.jisc.ac.uk/website/privacy-notice

For help and support help@jisc.ac.uk

Secured by F-Secure Anti-Virus CataList Email List Search Powered by the LISTSERV Email List Manager