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Europe
From Austria, 'new thoughts' for EU
2006-01-02
Posted on the off-chance that Europe still matters.
VIENNA: Austria plans to revive the moribund European constitution and will promote expansion of the European Union, but it will also raise a critical voice on issues like the involvement of European institutions in the domestic affairs of the 25 member states, according to Chancellor Wolfgang SchÃŒssel, who took over the six-month rotating EU presidency on Sunday.

Following months of bitter contention over the Union's direction, SchÃŒssel, 60, said Europe needed "some moments of fantasy and flexibility and new thoughts." He said he would restart efforts to draft a new constitution at an EU conference on European identity to be held in Salzburg in late January.

In an interview at his office at the chancellery, SchÃŒssel was generally upbeat about Europe's prospects. But he warned that Turkey might never become a full member of the EU and said that the services directive, a bill making it easier for European workers and companies to offer services abroad, should be probably be scrapped and rewritten. "We shouldn't wait too long to revive the debate on the European future," SchÃŒssel said. He said he aimed to have a timetable and roadmap for ratification of a new European constitution ready by mid-2006, when Austria hands over the EU presidency to Finland.

The dense and lengthy previous constitution had been drafted by about 100 European notables headed by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the former French president. SchÌssel called that process elitist and anachronistic, declaring, "I want to avoid a top-down approach." This time, he said, a broad spectrum of citizens including scientists, journalists and professors should contribute ideas for a new constitution.
No mention of ordinary Europeans.
Although much of the current unhappiness about the EU appears to stem from the latest round of expansion, from 15 to 25 members, in May 2004, SchÃŒssel said he would push plans to add another four members quickly. Romania and Bulgaria should be able to join the club by 2007, or 2008 at the latest, he said, while membership for Croatia and Macedonia should follow soon after. Bulgaria in particular has "made enormous progress in fights against organized crime," SchÃŒssel said.

SchÃŒssel said a key event of the Austrian presidency will be a conference in April, in the northern Austrian town of Saint Poelten, on the principle of "subsidiarity" - EU jargon for allowing member states to keep rulemaking under local control where possible. Even as Europeans integrate their economies, it remains critical to respect sovereignty, SchÃŒssel said. "There are some tendencies within the European Union that can be seen with critical eyes," he said, notably "an extension of communitarian law by the European court."

SchÃŒssel said political accord in Europe could be easier following the electoral victory in Germany of Angela Merkel, who is also a center-right chancellor. Franco-German relations should be "something which is moving in a positive direction, not blocking" initiatives like a new constitution, he said.
Translation: Chirac and Schroeder can't dictate terms anymore.
SchÃŒssel suggested that Austria could help break the deadlock in Europe's economic debate because it sat somewhere in between the sharply contested continental and Anglo-Saxon models. "We Austrians have something to offer which is probably a good mixture of both views," he said. Like Scandinavians, Austrians "have a very flexible labor market and on the other hand a very safe and stable social network."
Posted by:Steve White

#1  Where's the anti-zombi powder?
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-01-02 07:43  

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