For Blair and Balkenende, the EU has no need for a Constitution

"[Jan Peter] Balkenende and [Tony] Blair campaigning against the European Constitution", is the headline of the daily following the meeting on Monday, April 16th, that united the British Prime Minister and his Dutch counterpart. The editorialist Wouter Bax recalls the fact that "Balkenende remained silent for a long time on the subject of the European Constitution, only expressing his desire to participate 'constructively' in the debate. He has now broken the silence by declaring that 'The European Constitution is not necessary for the EU'. The Netherlands are toying with fire. ... Our position can bring on a loss of national prestige. For a long time we have noted that the Netherlands are not very good at choosing political alliances. ... And Blair is not the best person to form an alliance with. He is still Prime Minister, but only until next June 7th."

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