The EU's new former Communist countries are to be offered further concessions tomorrow under new plans designed to isolate France and clinch a deal in a tense negotiation over the EU's budget. Britain, which holds the presidency of the EU, is also prepared to reduce the value of the UK's rebate and probably to make that change permanent. With the row over the budget due to reach a climax at a summit starting on Thursday, France issued a veiled threat to hold up future enlargement of the EU unless there is a deal over EU spending for 2007-13. Paris is resisting British demands that a review of EU spending in 2008-9 should lead to concrete changes to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy before 2013. Instead of fighting on two fronts at once, Tony Blair will seek to bring on board the eight ex-Communist nations which stand to lose billions in subsidies under spending cuts proposed by the UK. By putting forward an increase in EU expenditure, Britain hopes to rally the Eastern European countries behind its revised proposal before seeking to pressure France into agreeing to a wide-ranging clause reviewing agriculture spending. One British source said: "Is France really saying that it is going to hold up a funding deal for the whole of Europe? We think the new members will gradually come round to the idea that a deal this week is in their best interests. If we don't get one now, they might have to wait a long time.
Britain, which holds the presidency of the EU, is also prepared to reduce the value of the UK's rebate and probably to make that change permanent.
With the row over the budget due to reach a climax at a summit starting on Thursday, France issued a veiled threat to hold up future enlargement of the EU unless there is a deal over EU spending for 2007-13.
Paris is resisting British demands that a review of EU spending in 2008-9 should lead to concrete changes to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy before 2013. Instead of fighting on two fronts at once, Tony Blair will seek to bring on board the eight ex-Communist nations which stand to lose billions in subsidies under spending cuts proposed by the UK.
By putting forward an increase in EU expenditure, Britain hopes to rally the Eastern European countries behind its revised proposal before seeking to pressure France into agreeing to a wide-ranging clause reviewing agriculture spending.
One British source said: "Is France really saying that it is going to hold up a funding deal for the whole of Europe? We think the new members will gradually come round to the idea that a deal this week is in their best interests. If we don't get one now, they might have to wait a long time.
Tony Blair is preparing to give ground to Jacques Chirac later this week over the EU budget by offering to make further - and permanent - cuts to its rebate. As France threatened to block EU enlargement unless Britain slashed its rebate by £9.3bn, Mr Blair was putting the finishing touches to a series of concessions yesterday. Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, will make the first move in the House of Commons tomorrow when he outlines proposals to offer money to the new EU member countries in eastern and central Europe. Protests from countries such as Poland, which has threatened to veto the budget negotiations after Britain proposed a £9.3bn cut in structural funds for the east, has persuaded Britain that it will have to offer extra funds. This may be achieved by increasing the planned £564bn budget from 1.03% of the EU's overall income to 1.04%. The budget will be for 2007-13. Britain hopes that sweeteners to the EU's new recruits will persuade Poland not to use its veto and make it more difficult for Mr Chirac to accuse Britain of abandoning the east. Downing Street will wait until the European summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday before wooing Mr Chirac with an offer to cut the rebate by more than the £5.3bn offered last week.
As France threatened to block EU enlargement unless Britain slashed its rebate by £9.3bn, Mr Blair was putting the finishing touches to a series of concessions yesterday.
Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, will make the first move in the House of Commons tomorrow when he outlines proposals to offer money to the new EU member countries in eastern and central Europe.
Protests from countries such as Poland, which has threatened to veto the budget negotiations after Britain proposed a £9.3bn cut in structural funds for the east, has persuaded Britain that it will have to offer extra funds. This may be achieved by increasing the planned £564bn budget from 1.03% of the EU's overall income to 1.04%. The budget will be for 2007-13.
Britain hopes that sweeteners to the EU's new recruits will persuade Poland not to use its veto and make it more difficult for Mr Chirac to accuse Britain of abandoning the east.
Downing Street will wait until the European summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday before wooing Mr Chirac with an offer to cut the rebate by more than the £5.3bn offered last week.
France warned the UK yesterday that expansion of the European Union could be hit if EU leaders fail to agree a new budget this week. Speaking at a Brussels meeting of foreign ministers, Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, said the EU needed to think hard about beginning a new wave of enlargement. He added that further expansion of the 25-nation bloc could be open to question if the EU failed to finance last year's entry of 10 new member states with a budget this week. "Should we go on with a new wave of enlargement?" he asked. "Is this the right moment . . . when the EU has yet to find the institutional or financial solutions to the challÃ,Âenges of the enlargement we have already carried out?" At the centre of the debate is the former Yugoslav RepÃ,Âublic of Macedonia, which the European Commission believes should be formally declared a candidate for membership. But Brussels has not yet named a date for the start of talks and privately officials say there is no chance of negotiations next year.
Speaking at a Brussels meeting of foreign ministers, Philippe Douste-Blazy, the French foreign minister, said the EU needed to think hard about beginning a new wave of enlargement. He added that further expansion of the 25-nation bloc could be open to question if the EU failed to finance last year's entry of 10 new member states with a budget this week.
"Should we go on with a new wave of enlargement?" he asked. "Is this the right moment . . . when the EU has yet to find the institutional or financial solutions to the challÃ,Âenges of the enlargement we have already carried out?"
At the centre of the debate is the former Yugoslav RepÃ,Âublic of Macedonia, which the European Commission believes should be formally declared a candidate for membership. But Brussels has not yet named a date for the start of talks and privately officials say there is no chance of negotiations next year.
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has written to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair asking for more cuts to the UK rebate. The UK has offered to cut 8bn euros (£5bn) from the rebate between 2007 and 2013 but Mr Barroso called for "a further effort from the UK". He said this could unlock agreement on the budget at a summit later this week. The UK is currently working on a new budget proposal after its first one was rejected by the other states last week. The UK's first proposal set the overall level of expenditure at 1.03% of the EU's gross national income, and envisaged a significant cut in the amount of development aid for the 10 new member states, which joined the EU in 2004. "New member states need to be offered significantly higher levels of investment than in the current proposals," Mr Barroso said.
The UK has offered to cut 8bn euros (£5bn) from the rebate between 2007 and 2013 but Mr Barroso called for "a further effort from the UK".
He said this could unlock agreement on the budget at a summit later this week.
The UK is currently working on a new budget proposal after its first one was rejected by the other states last week.
The UK's first proposal set the overall level of expenditure at 1.03% of the EU's gross national income, and envisaged a significant cut in the amount of development aid for the 10 new member states, which joined the EU in 2004.
"New member states need to be offered significantly higher levels of investment than in the current proposals," Mr Barroso said.
As EU foreign ministers met for the final time before their make-or-break summit this week, the fractious bloc looked no closer to coming up with a proposal for the EU budget which would satisfy everyone. For those who brought even a modicum of hope with them to the meeting in Brussels, the possibility of current European Union president Britain presenting new proposals to ease the impasse died quickly as British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced as way of introduction the fact that there would be nothing to discuss. Diplomats at the meeting said the foreign ministers spent less than a minute on the 2007-2013 budget since there were no new British proposals on offer. "It lasted 45 seconds," one said. Straw merely said London would put forward revised proposals during the week but added that London would not pay any price for an agreement. "We're not in for a deal at any price," Straw told reporters, referring to the pressure Britain has been under to relinquish more of its annual rebate to fund aid to new east European members in the budget. Straw's stance makes it look increasingly unlikely that that there would be any concessions on the long-term EU budget when the ministers of the 25-nation bloc convene on Wednesday. When pressed on whether there was a chance of an accord being agreed upon on Thursday and Friday, Straw told reporters: "I can't say."
For those who brought even a modicum of hope with them to the meeting in Brussels, the possibility of current European Union president Britain presenting new proposals to ease the impasse died quickly as British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw announced as way of introduction the fact that there would be nothing to discuss.
Diplomats at the meeting said the foreign ministers spent less than a minute on the 2007-2013 budget since there were no new British proposals on offer. "It lasted 45 seconds," one said. Straw merely said London would put forward revised proposals during the week but added that London would not pay any price for an agreement.
"We're not in for a deal at any price," Straw told reporters, referring to the pressure Britain has been under to relinquish more of its annual rebate to fund aid to new east European members in the budget.
Straw's stance makes it look increasingly unlikely that that there would be any concessions on the long-term EU budget when the ministers of the 25-nation bloc convene on Wednesday. When pressed on whether there was a chance of an accord being agreed upon on Thursday and Friday, Straw told reporters: "I can't say."
Britain has too much at stake and is clearly not acting an honest broker. Austria and Finland are both much better placed to act as honest brokers here. tens of millions of people stand to see their lives ruined because the bureaucrats at the ECB don't understand introductory economics -- Dean Baker
a deal this week is in their best interests. If we don't get one now, they might have to wait a long time.
And since it is a native speaker saying this, they can't claim that they somehow fumbled their pronouns. tens of millions of people stand to see their lives ruined because the bureaucrats at the ECB don't understand introductory economics -- Dean Baker
From reading about the EU, your comments appear to be spot on. What benefit is there to the UK to behave in this manner over the EU budget?
Also I want to clarify some very thoughtless remarks I made on 8 Dec 2005 in Frans column.
I deeply apologize for any upset my remarks caused. As an American I am having a great deal of trouble with the now known fact of just how involved the American government is involved in all the various aspects of the atrocities associated with Torture, Renditions, Secret Prisons etc. Though I love my country, It makes me feel dirty, deeply ashamed, beyond outrage and physically sick to my stomach. When I saw your reaction to my comments, I realized what my state of mind was, and decided I needed a few days off Blogs to get my thinking straightened out.
The European Tribune did an outstanding job of highlighting the various aspects of these crimes last week on their pages. Frankly it was almost a relief to see that your press made it at least visible. That is so much more than the American Corporately owned media did here. I have long admired the manner in which Europeans seem able to so much more sanely think situations through, and formulate possible outcomes and solutions. So, I responded like an angry and scared child wanting my older and wiser cousins to come rescue us, instead of as a sane adult. Living in the U.S.A. right now feels like being in an insane asylum, with the inmates in charge.
This is by no means excuses my thoughtlessness, and is offered only as an explanation of my state of mind.
I said After all Bush can't carpet bomb Europe or the corporations would be very angry that their markets are now rubble. I should instead have asked, of what or why is Europe afraid of what the US would do, and why are they not reacting more strongly against these crimes?
You replied I would hope the reason Bush could not carpet bomb Europe would be that the Joint Chiefs of Staff would refuse. I would sincerely hope so.
You know Migeru, I too would like to hope the Joint Chiefs of staff would behave responsibly. Yet with each day that passes, there are new revelations of complete insanity, lies and a yet deeper lowering of conscience and morality by these people. Never in my 60+ years have I seen our government controlled by so many sick, twisted, lying, depraved and perverted pyscopathic individuals.
Input from the Military is rejected by the Bush Administration and, dissenters, with the civilians in charge, will have their careers and lives destroyed. The ONLY thing that seems to catch the attention of these awful people are bottom line corporate wealth and their next great scheme to totally loot the American treasury for generations to come. So I am not sure just how much effect the advice of the Joint Chiefs or any military person would have. And this Criminal Cabal somehow believes it is their "Divine Right" to strike out using Military technology against perceived enemies.
When I used the term "dramatically alter", you responded with "Dramatically alter" meaning the rendition flights would stop over to refuel in North Africa? Perhaps I have misunderstood or not read enough, but I still think that European Pressure would force the Bushitas to back down. My reasons are:
As to not being able to count to two, seems like math and scientific logic are your forte with the name of your email address. I use to teach at a college in New Hampshire - language and absolutely nothing to do with science or math. Where do you teach/work? Ever the curious teacher I am! "A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within." Cicero
The EU's new former Communist countries are to be offered further concessions tomorrow under new plans designed to isolate France and clinch a deal in a tense negotiation over the EU's budget.
Are they totally stupid, or really, really devious??
Until the budget proposal, France was supposedly isolated. Then the proposal came, were somewhat nice to France, but very nasty to supposed friends in Eastern Europe, thus triggering notes the Blair was isolated. Now, the new proposals will allow for a reconciliation with the new members, and leave France as the lone hold out?
Even if true, how is that progress, as we bump up again on the initial problems, still unresolved? Do they really think that we should think the world of Blair for solving a problem he created in the first place with his proposal?
Was the problem created just to show that Blair can "solve" problems with the new members, who are reasonable, but not with unreasonable France? Seriously? In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Friction with UK causes Warsaw to seek allies elsewhere Friction between Warsaw and London over the British proposal for the 2007-2013 EU budget, which could see as much as €14bn ($16.5bn, £9.4bn)) cut in funds for new member states, is forcing Poland to look elsewhere in Europe for allies in the negotiations. Britain won a positive image in Poland by being one of only three EU members to fully open its labour markets to the 10 countries that joined in 2004. (...) But Britain's hardball negotiating tactics over the budget are leaving bruised feelings in Warsaw and the French government has been making strenuous efforts to improve relations with the new Polish regime. (...) Poland has also found new reasons to co-operate with France as both countries are significant beneficiaries of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, leading to what the Polish foreign ministry called a "micro-alliance with France". (...) For Poland, Britain's view of the EU seems to have been captured by a controversial e-mail sent by Charles Crawford, the British ambassador in Warsaw, to his superiors in London. He denounced the "hypocrisy and absurdity" of the budgeting process and criticised the "rudeness and ingratitude" of the EU's new central European members. Mr Crawford's office explained the leaked e-mail was a joke. The Polish foreign ministry plans to invite him over to discuss the differences between Polish and British senses of humour. But Polish officials in Brussels were aghast at Mr Crawford's "joke memo", saying it would only fuel concerns in eastern Europe about Britain's reliability as a partner. "This will do dramatic damage to Britain's image in eastern Europe," said one official. "It will be difficult to persuade people to trust the Brits in future. Tony Blair will have to pay more now to allay those concerns." "It was always absurd for Polish politicians to talk about building a new EU based on relations with London. That's why I'm grateful for Crawford's letter because it's a lesson on Britain's views of the EU," said Marek Sarjusz-Wolski, editor of the Unia & Polska, a monthly focusing on European issues.
Friction between Warsaw and London over the British proposal for the 2007-2013 EU budget, which could see as much as €14bn ($16.5bn, £9.4bn)) cut in funds for new member states, is forcing Poland to look elsewhere in Europe for allies in the negotiations.
Britain won a positive image in Poland by being one of only three EU members to fully open its labour markets to the 10 countries that joined in 2004.
(...)
But Britain's hardball negotiating tactics over the budget are leaving bruised feelings in Warsaw and the French government has been making strenuous efforts to improve relations with the new Polish regime.
Poland has also found new reasons to co-operate with France as both countries are significant beneficiaries of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy, leading to what the Polish foreign ministry called a "micro-alliance with France".
For Poland, Britain's view of the EU seems to have been captured by a controversial e-mail sent by Charles Crawford, the British ambassador in Warsaw, to his superiors in London.
He denounced the "hypocrisy and absurdity" of the budgeting process and criticised the "rudeness and ingratitude" of the EU's new central European members.
Mr Crawford's office explained the leaked e-mail was a joke. The Polish foreign ministry plans to invite him over to discuss the differences between Polish and British senses of humour. But Polish officials in Brussels were aghast at Mr Crawford's "joke memo", saying it would only fuel concerns in eastern Europe about Britain's reliability as a partner.
"This will do dramatic damage to Britain's image in eastern Europe," said one official. "It will be difficult to persuade people to trust the Brits in future. Tony Blair will have to pay more now to allay those concerns."
"It was always absurd for Polish politicians to talk about building a new EU based on relations with London. That's why I'm grateful for Crawford's letter because it's a lesson on Britain's views of the EU," said Marek Sarjusz-Wolski, editor of the Unia & Polska, a monthly focusing on European issues.
Remember that Straw endorsed it. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
It was always absurd for Polish politicians to talk about building a new EU based on relations with London.
Now in paragraph above replace "Blair's/his budget" with "the CAP".
I also remember being with a Serbian friend and her ex-husband, who is Bosnian, on the night that Slovenia joined the EU: we did the countdown and slammed champagne ... this is, in essence, what Europe is about. The spirit.
Look, I have no problem with Norway, the UK and Switzerland staying out of the political EU. EFTA and the EEA are good enough. tens of millions of people stand to see their lives ruined because the bureaucrats at the ECB don't understand introductory economics -- Dean Baker
Like you, I don't know about the Welsh and the Scots, but if the English are against something, it's almost certain that the Welsh and Scots will be in favour of that same thing, just to piss off the English.
But everybody in the UK has been subjected to the same Europhobic propaganda for the past twenty-five years. Not much hope, I'm afraid.
Objective 1
All these regions have a number of economic signals/indicators "in the red": low level of investment; a higher than average unemployment rate; lack of services for businesses and individuals; poor basic infrastructure.
tens of millions of people stand to see their lives ruined because the bureaucrats at the ECB don't understand introductory economics -- Dean Baker
Objective 2 of the Structural Funds aims to revitalise all areas facing structural difficulties, whether industrial, rural, urban or dependent on fisheries. Though situated in regions whose development level is close to the Community average, such areas are faced with different types of socio-economic difficulties that are often the source of high unemployment. These include: the evolution of industrial or service sectors; a decline in traditional activities in rural areas; a crisis situation in urban areas; difficulties affecting fisheries activity.
</regional pride snark>
