euro|topics - Ratification without debate?

21/11/2008

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Main focus of Friday, April 25, 2008

Ratification without debate?

The Danish parliament yesterday ratified the Treaty of Lisbon. The German Bundestag has also given its approval by a great majority. This means eleven EU states have now ratified the treaty - most of them without much discussion. Should there be more public discussion about the EU treaty?

Die Welt - Germany

In Germany the Bundestag (the lower house of the parliament) has approved the ratification of the EU reform treaty, however Peter Gauweiler of the CSU (Christian Social Union) has lodged a complaint against the treaty before the constitutional court in Karlsruhe. Ansgar Graw welcomes the treaty as a step down the road to a common European identity: "In this case the saying 'less is sometimes more' is not just an empty phrase but a reference to realpolitik and the will of the people of Europe. However, the treaty still has a long way to go before it's signed and sealed. A plebiscite will be held in Ireland and the court in Karlsruhe will have to reach a decision about Gauweiler's complaint. It's good that this case has been brought before court because given the fundamental significance the treaty will have for future policies, which was confirmed by all parties except the Left Party in the Bundestag yesterday, it's important that the question of transferring further powers to Brussels be settled before court. Europe needs clarity to win the trust of its citizens." (25/04/2008)

Jyllands-Posten - Denmark

The Danish parliament has ratified the EU reform treaty. The daily laments this "silent" ratification process and contends that a discussion about the treaty would have "opened a window" in Denmark. "This would have been good for the vote on [Denmark's EU] reservations. With his hush-hush strategy, the Prime Minister has risked arousing the electorate's suspicion and making them want to slow things down if there is a referendum this year on one or several of the reservations." Denmark wants its current special arrangements regarding monetary policy and defence policy to be repealed. "Much could have been gained if the government had used enlightened and positive political arguments in favour of the EU treaty - in particular greater faith in the European project. Ratifying the treaty without a referendum has unfortunately brought the EU debate back to square one." (25/04/2008)

Delfi - Lithuania

The process of ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon is still underway in Lithuania. Jonas Vaiscunas comments: "Our government obviously considers its citizens to be too immature regarding international affairs. So far it has avoided any kind of public discussion about the Lisbon Treaty. Neither the elected politicians nor political scientists have made any effort to explain it to the people. ... And this although in surveys 73 percent of respondents claimed they didn't know anything about the new treaty and 27 percent had heard about it but 51 percent of them felt they weren't adequately informed. ... Who says we have to ratify this treaty at all? Isn't it time we asked how this situation fits in with Article 1 of our constitution, which calls for a referendum in such cases?" (25/04/2008)

» To the complete press review of Friday, April 25, 2008

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