EU Leaders Reach Agreement On New Treaty

Source: Associated Press

EU Leaders Reach Agreement On New Treaty

BRUSSELS, Belgium, June 23, 2007

(AP) European Union leaders agreed early Saturday — after two long
days of tough negotiations — on guidelines for drafting a new EU
treaty to replace the bloc's aborted constitution.

All 27 leaders — including Poland, which had staged fierce opposition
to the proposed treaty — agreed on a “very precise mandate” to draft
a streamlined treaty that will guide and govern the expanded EU,
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.

-snip-

Merkel had made it a priority of her country's six-month EU presidency
to come up with a viable plan for a treaty to replace the now-defunct
EU charter that Dutch and French voters rejected two years ago.

She sought to salvage key parts of the stalled constitution necessary
to streamline EU decision making, including overhauling the unwieldy
EU voting system and giving the EU more power in policing.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/23/world/main2970261.shtml

and no European foreign policy either.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6232540.stm

"The four essential things that we in the UK required in order to protect our position have all been obtained," said Tony Blair at the end of his last EU summit as British prime minister.

"Those were first of all to make it absolutely clear that the charter on fundamental rights was not going to be justiciable in British courts or alter British law."

Mr Blair also wanted to maintain national control over foreign policy, justice and home affairs.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6232652.stm

EU treaty good for UK, says Blair

An agreement reached in Brussels on a new European Union treaty protects Britain's interests, Tony Blair says.

It gives the UK an opt-out on a charter of human and social rights and keeps Britain's independent foreign policy and tax and benefit arrangements.

Gordon Brown also intervened to persuade Mr Blair to demand a protocol to protect the EU's internal market.

/...

also more and more members seem interested in restricting the Brussels powers