Britain launches everyman’s ‘Guide to the EU’

The British government has launched a 48-page plain language guide
to the EU and its Constitution in an attempt to ‘sell’ Europe to
its citizens.

According to the document, which has a print run
of some 200,000 copies and will be available in the UK’s
public libraries, there are several “false alarms and
misconceptions” about the EU in general and the new Constitution in
particular. The pamphlet’s aim is to cut through the myths and
complexities and to convince eurosceptics in Britain that “none of
these things is true”. 

“It’s a straightforward, fact-based guide to the European Union,
what the constitution changes, and why those changes are good for
Britain and for Europe,” said a spokesman for the Foreign
Office. The first part of the guide describes the
way the EU works, where it gets its money from and what it
actually does. The second part is devoted to the new EU
Constitution, setting out what the treaty would and would not
do.

Following the ceremonial signing of the EU Constitution in Rome
on 29 October, the document will be subject to a series of
referendums, including one in Britain. According to Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw this referendum is likely to take
place sometime in “early 2006”. Currently,
the majority of member states will adopt the
Constitution by parliamentary vote.

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