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Foreign ministers open EU Treaty talks

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Published 24 July 2007 - Updated 27 July 2007
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Negotiations have begun to finalise the draft 'Reform Treaty', based on the detailed mandate agreed by EU leaders at the June Summit. Representatives of the EU institutions have urged member states not to open up new issues and reach an agreement by October.

The Portuguese EU Presidency presented a first draft of the new Treaty  text to EU foreign ministers at the formal opening of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on 23 July. According to Commission President José Manuel Barroso, the complex 277-page text reflects the compromise "which has imposed" its present form.

Speaking at a press conference on 23 July, Portuguese Foreign Minister Luís Amado was eager to underline that an agreement should be found "as soon as possible" and that EU member states should "stick to the timetable". "It is now the task of the Portuguese Presidency to create the appropriate political conditions," Amado said.

Fears of member states opening up institutional issues are especially directed at Poland, which had signalled its discontent over details concerning the Council voting provisions.

However, Polish Foreign Minister Anna Fotyga softened the tone, saying: "We would naturally like to give a Polish reflection on our understanding on some of the mandate's provisions. There are several issues that many countries have and we want to clarify them."

Commission President José Manuel Barroso said: "I believe that everyone can find his place in this text. Of course there certainly are some details that need to be addressed, but there is full respect for the mandate." He added: "For a long time, we have been discussing institutions, procedures, reforms and treaties. Okay, it is enough. Now we need to concentrate on delivering results for the citizens."

Positions: 

In a statement, Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering welcomed the launch of the IGC: “We in the Parliament fully support the Portuguese Presidency in the important task of transposing the agreement reached at the June Summit into the final text of the Reform Treaty.” He added: “There can be no renegotiation or any opening of the negotiating mandate.”

Commission President José Manuel Barroso expressed his discontent over comparisons of the draft ‘Reform Treaty’ to the draft Constitutional Treaty. Rather, he suggested, it should be compared to the “current situation” under the Nice Treaty provisions.

Meanwhile, MEPs are eager not to leave the comparison with the draft Constitution out of sight. Socialist MEP Enrique Barón Crespo stressed that he and his colleagues participating in the IGC “will act as guardians of the spirit and substance of the Constitutional Treaty, this being the foundation of the IGC’s work”.

Neil O'Brien, Director of the eurosceptic think tank Open Europe, criticised that 96% of articles contained in the draft 'Reform Treaty' are copied from the draft EU Constitution. O'Brien said: "We never expected that they would simply bring back all the text from the old constitution. All they seem to have done is renumber the articles.  From this point forward it’s going to become absolutely impossible for Gordon Brown to resist a referendum, because this is exactly the same text that he promised a referendum on before."

Next steps: 
  • 23 July: Formal opening of the IGC.
  • 18-19 Oct.: The Presidency seeks to obtain an agreement on the Reform Treaty during the informal European Council in Lisbon.
  • 13-14 Dec.: Signing of the new Treaty by European heads of state and governments at the European Council.
  • Until 2009: Ratification in the 27 member states ahead of the European elections.

 

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Background: 

In June, EU heads of state and government agreed on a detailed mandate  for an Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) to reform the EU's institutions. The 'Reform Treaty' seeks to overcome a two-year institutional impasse following the French and Dutch 'No' votes on the proposed EU Constitution in 2005.

The IGC's task is to translate the Summit's political agreement into legal form and prepare a text to revise the current treaties. For the first time, an IGC is launched with the main Treaty provisions already agreed upon. The Portuguese Presidency therefore hopes to reduce negotiations to legal details regarding the Reform Treaty text.

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