Lisbon Treaty & European Muscle

 BY Dr. Abdul Ruff

[UK Empire is keen to control the European world. The choice of Brussels born and trained as an economist, 62-year-old Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy a low-key politician with a reputation for conciliation as the first European Union president has not been a pleasant news for many hawkish anti-Islamic European states that sought a more forceful and high profile personality to represent the regional bloc on the world stage. Sweden, which holds the presidency of the EU, has said that it began consulting intensively about names to hold the post of president created by the Lisbon Treaty. Tony Blair and his allies launched, unsuccessfully, a last-ditch bid to crown him European president. His friends urged him to speak directly to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, a Jew, and persuade them he is the man for the job. At 10, Downing Street, Gordon Brown hoping to get some undue mileage for the dying Labour party, was busy 'hitting the phones and speaking to leader of member states' to campaign for Blair, but all his efforts ended  in a crash of U’s  EU diplomacy as its Mideast policy].

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At a time, the state terror forces of many of the EU members are busy killing Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan,  converting them into a zone of western puppet regimes to be controlled by their leaders, military hawks and media lords,  European Union gave a final shape to its Lisbon Treaty-  a painstakingly negotiated blueprint for modernizing EU institutions and decision-making in an age of rapid expansion eastward and myriad cross-border challenges ranging from democracy, rule of law and terrorism to climate change. Creation of post of EU president is one of the recommendations of Lisbon Treaty. The treaty requires unanimous ratification. All the other EU nations already have passed the treaty through their national parliaments.  Ireland had been the lone EU member requiring the complex document to be ratified through a popular vote, a risky test that the treaty failed last year when the Irish shocked Brussels by voting no, but this year it was approved. A second Irish rebuff would have killed the treaty and built pressure to chart another way forward that would not be subject to another Irish veto, the long-threatened "two-speed Europe" in which a core of like-minded nations would move ahead of naysayers like Ireland.

The treaty needs the backing of all 27 member states to go into force. All have ratified it except the Czech Republic.  EU leaders agreed a deal to secure the ratification of the Lisbon treaty.Among other things, the pact creates two powerful new posts: an EU president and a foreign minister, who are expected to represent the body in global forums. Only the heads of state of Poland and the Czech Republic have yet to withhold their assent, citing Ireland's uncertain approval.

The Czechs are the only one of the 27 EU nations not to have ratified the treaty, which aims to streamline decision-making and bolster the bloc's role on the world stage. The only obstacle to Klaus's signature is now a legal challenge by Czech senators, which the country's constitutional court is expected to dismiss. The Czechs were granted an opt-out from the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, similar to that of the UK and Poland. Should the Czech Republic - as now expected - ratify the Lisbon Treaty, it will clear the way for the creation of the post of President of the European Council. Czech leader Klaus said "does not intend to set further conditions, so I expect his decision, his intentions, will be communicated very fast after the constitutional court (decision)."

The choice of  the new president of EU created some problem. Efforts to get the new treaty past the final roadblock coincided with stepped-up lobbying for the post of president, with several new candidates coming forward to challenge former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. Tony Blair and Luxembourg Premier Jean-Claude Juncker have been touted as the leading candidates for the job. But a lack of support from European socialist leaders has served to undermine Blair's chances. Czech President Vaclav Klaus is satisfied with a declaration by European Union leaders intended to pave the way to ratification of the bloc's Lisbon treaty. The next step on the eight-year path toward the overhaul of the EU’s decision-making machinery is a ruling due next week by the Czech Supreme Court, which has already backed the treaty once. EU leaders moved no closer to agreement on a prospective president of the European Council, with former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's chances of securing the role receding.

Funding issue caused a practical impediment for the Treaty's accent. Failure to agree on the funding would be another blow to the prospects of global leaders agreeing on a successor to the Kyoto Protocol on battling climate change at the talks in Copenhagen. EU spokesperson Barroso said: "I'm confident that a solution will be found. It is extremely important that the European Union keeps the leadership role we have had (in combating climate change)". Nine countries in Eastern Europe opposed reaching any agreement on how much to give developing countries until the EU agrees how much each EU state will provide. Some countries, including Germany, oppose declaring the figure too soon, saying it would be better to wait for other global powers to first say how much they will provide.

Czech approval would also end an eight-year saga that saw the EU attempt and fail at writing a U.S.-style constitution.  Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country holds the EU presidency and has been negotiating with the Czech government, told a news conference that the road to ratification now stands open. Nine Eastern European countries, led by Poland contended that an empowered Brussels would raise Ireland's taxes, slash its minimum wage, force its soldiers into a European army and legalize abortion and euthanasia. They aren't ready to commit any money either. Others, including Italy and Germany, argue it would be better not to flag a precise number before the last stage of the negotiations at the global climate summit in Copenhagen in December, as this would limit Europe's room for maneuver.

Czech President Václav Klaus's objections have held up implementation of the treaty, which is designed to streamline decision making and increase the global clout of the EU.A coalition of nine poorer European nations has threatened to block a deal unless richer EU countries pay more. EU leaders moved no closer to agreement on a new president in the first day of a two-day summit in Brussels, with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair's chances of securing the role receding Leaders of the 27-country bloc cheered and applauded when they agreed on the wording of a deal to persuade Czech President Vaclav Klaus to ratify the Lisbon treaty which would reform the EU's top institutions. They accepted his demand for an opt-out from a charter on human rights which is attached to the treaty, saying this would shield the Czech Republic from property claims by ethnic Germans expelled after World War II.

European Union leaders tried to break an impasse over funding to help poor countries combat global warming on the last day of their Brussels summit. The two-day summit in Brussels of 27member European Union in October 2009 has made some adjustments and some how finally ratified the Lisbon Treaty. Sweden's prime minister called on EU leaders to set a fixed sum, paving the way for other rich donors like the US and Japan to make similar pledges. The EU reached a deal on October 29 that opens the way to ratification of a treaty to increase its influence in world affairs, but failed to agree on funding for a pact to combat climate change.

                                             An Observation

Europeans no more can talk of decency and democracy and rule of law and bull as they did before they invaded the nation of brave Afghans. Global state terrorists are destroying the Islamic nations one by one on fictitious pretexts, squandering the precious resources in these nations. As the former UK premier and a close terror strategic partner of Bush Jr, responsible for all state crimes in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq and weakening of Iranian psyche was expecting the high chair in EU as the first full time president, the choice of Brussels born and trained as an economist, 62-year-old Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy a low-key politician with a reputation for conciliation as European Union president has not been a pleasant news for many hawkish anti-Islamic European states that sought a more forceful and high profile personality to represent the regional bloc on the world stage.  Some European leaders are even deeply disappointed that a hardcore European could be put n place to showcase the European prowess to the world, especially to the Americans and Russians. However, in voting for the candidates, EU leaders tried to strike a balance between competing partisan, regional and gender interests in the 27-member bloc.

The EU is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020 and by up to 30% if other countries join in. with just weeks to go before the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, Europeans are struggling over how much money to offer developing nations to fight the effects of global warming. The European Commission has recommended EU nations pay up to 15bn euros ($22bn; £13bn) a year from 2013 to developing nations. A draft text released set a baseline goal for the world climate summit of 100bn euros ($148bn; £90bn) a year from 2020 to help developing countries fight global warming. Polish finance minister Jacek Rostowski said that eastern European nations should be allowed to contribute according to their means, not to how much they pollute - otherwise they were ready to block a deal. Until now, Germany, the leader of Europe's biggest economy has refused to be pinned down on figures, but arriving at the summit she signaled some flexibility. German Chancellor Ms Merkel said the EU has to make clear its ideas, but it is crucial that the USA, India and China also make clear what they are willing to contribute. The joy over the opt-out contrasted with the disappointment of many leaders over the failure to agree on funding to help poor countries combat global warming under a deal to be discussed at international talks in Copenhagen in December. EU sources said the EU presidency would present new proposals on Friday, the last day of the summit.

Meanwhile, EU is now pushing to upgrade its status at the UN to put it on a par with quasi-states such as the Vatican and Palestine . EU officials are discussing a plan to seek a controversial UN General Assembly resolution that would recognise the 27-nation bloc’s new unified foreign policy envisaged in the Lisbon treaty. The resolution, if adopted, would give the EU its own seat and nameplate in UN General Assembly chamber and committees and allow it to take part in debates and co-sponsor resolutions — but not vote. The new EU foreign policy chief, who is expected to be named this week, would be able to address the UN on behalf of the EU. EU diplomats concede that it will be “problematic” to demand upgraded status for the EU at the UN, an organization of nation states.

As EU chief, Van Rompuy said he would remain discrete and positive. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt of Sweden - which holds the EU presidency until the year's end - said the choice reflected an effort to unify the bloc. Belgian internal politics which are very complicated and dominated by problems between the two major groups in Belgium - the Dutch speaking and the French speaking - he's been able to cope rather well with that complicated situation. So he's somebody who can seek consensus on all major, complicated issues. Thus far EU stalwarts have rejected the Turkey’s EU membership for which it has been crawling relentlessly for years. Van Rompuy is said to be against Turkish membership of EU but said he would be working together. However, Ankara considers its chances of entering the EU as a legitimate 28^th member are brighter now. Whether or not Turkey managed to get inside the EU, it has a constructive role to play in Islamic world without getting into the traps laid by the Western rogue states. 

Capitalism is falling and colonialism is weakening, while neo-imperialism has no place in the future world,. With an enhanced Euro that has outsmarted the US dollar and weakened American bargaining power around the world, the European countries are flexing their muscles against a crumbling USA which is falling below the EU in economic fitness. The result of the implementation of the Lisbon treaty is expected to offer more teeth to European internationally. Obviously, the USA, already reeling under the brunt of terror commitments in Islamic world and beaten badly by the recurring recessions, has every reason to worry now -more than before.

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Dr. Abdul Ruff Colachal

Specialist on State Terrorism

Independent Columnist in International Affairs, Research Scholar (JNU) &