Friday, 22 June 2007
EU leaders have not yet agreed on new treaty
European Parliament president Hans-Gert Poettering said the 'goodwill' of EU member states must improve in order to secure a deal on a treaty to reform Europe's outmoded institutions.
Speaking to reporters here on the second day of two-day summit gathering of EU leaders here, Poettering said: 'The goodwill (of EU states) must increase', declining to name specific countries.
He added, however, that Poland's position is 'developing', declining to provide more specifics.
EU leaders face a second day of wrangling over reforms that are contested specifically by Poland and the UK.
German chancellor Angela Merkel is hoping to clinch agreement on a reform treaty, proposed as a replacement to the constitution that was sidelined after its rejection by French and Dutch voters in 2005.
A series of bilateral meetings are planned in order to move entrenched positions.
But Poland and the UK are standing firm in their opposition to various aspects of the treaty despite negotiators' efforts overnight.
Poland objects to the proposed switch to a qualified-majority system of voting, dubbed 'double majority', arguing that it gives too much weight to large countries such as Germany.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a compromise solution to Polish president Lech Kaczynski, his spokesman said earlier this morning.
'President Sarkozy had made a compromise proposal over dinner in a bid to get Poland to lift its opposition,' said a spokesman for Sarkozy, David Martinon.
He said the president made a 'technical proposal of the Ioannina type' which Kaczynski agreed to consider.
The Ioannina compromise, named after a Greek island, was first established by EU member states in 1994 to allow a small group of countries who had almost enough votes to block a decision to have the decision re-examined.
A Polish source said the compromise 'doesn't go far enough', adding that Warsaw has made a counter-proposal.
Poland also suggested that any new voting system should not come into force for more than a decade, the source said.
As for the UK, it does not want to cede national control over foreign policy, its judicial and police system, and tax and social security rules, while refusing to give legal force to an EU charter of fundamental rights.
MIA
June 22 2007
