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EU blueprint envisages president
BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- Long-awaited EU plans for sweeping constitutional changes have been published and include a permanent president, joint foreign policy and a legally binding charter of rights. The draft by the head of the Convention on the Future of Europe and former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing has taken months of consultation, but is expected to take a further year to finalize after discussions among the 15-member states. Its aim is to streamline the current paperwork and rules ahead of the introduction of 10 prospective members next year. Other key points in the blueprint, released in Brussels Monday, include an elected EU foreign minister and the removal of the rotating six-month presidency currently shared among nation states. Member states will have to "unreservedly" back a European Union common foreign policy, if the draft is approved, and it shall in future have "legal personality," incorporating a legally-binding Charter of Fundamental Rights, including labor and social policies. Britain, which is not a member of the eurozone and fiercely fights to protect its sovereignty over issues such as tax, has already complained about the prospect of losing power to the EU. The word "federal" has been toned down to "community" after talks between d'Estaing and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair. A spokesman for d'Estaing said other parts of the draft text would be delivered later this week, but there was still some discussion on the convention: "This is a text that is still open to improvement. It can be improved. It is not the final version," he said. CNN's European Political Editor said "big battles" lay ahead but debate would be over a long time. "They are trying to produce less paperwork. It could be a step to a brighter future if everybody realizes they have to give up something to get any gains, but there are big battles ahead," he said. Intense discussions over the document have gone on during the last week, sparking bitter argument within some EU countries. Smaller EU states have been angry at the presidential plans, fearing heavyweight countries like Britain, France and Germany, which already dominate the bloc, will be strengthened. Euroskeptics, including the opposition Conservative Party in Britain, have called for a referendum on the new constitution which they say is a first step to a European superstate. The idea of renaming the EU as the "United States of Europe" was also banished from the text after British objections. Instead it talks of forging an "ever-closer union." The launch marks the end of more than a year of work by the 105-strong convention comprising national government ministers, Euro-MPs, MPs and the European Commission. The draft text will now be debated once more by the full convention next week before the final version goes for first formal consideration by EU leaders at a summit in Thessaloniki, Greece, between June 20-22. Then, an Intergovernmental Conference will be convened in the autumn, aiming for a final decision before the end of the year, if possible. Blair has tried to placate his critics by saying the treaty requires the unanimous agreement of all EU leaders, saying anything not in Britain's interest will be vetoed. But euroskeptics in Britain are expected to step up their onslaught when the convention's proposals are thrashed out in the intergovernmental conference. The draft convention does not talk of harmonizing tax or social security, but fundamental issues remain over the exact role of the EU in foreign and economic policy under the constitution. The Blair government supports the suggestion of a permanent EU "president" -- probably a former prime minister of one of the member states. But Oakley referred to the difficulties for a future EU foreign minister and joint foreign policy. "They need a Mr Europe for foreign policy, but that will be difficult when they do not have a shared foreign policy as the differences over Iraq showed." The UK, Spain and Italy strongly backed the U.S.-led war on Iraq, while Germany and France were staunchly against. On Sunday d'Estaing tried to win over skeptics in the UK, insisting he was not "destroying Britain" and saying he would be "very pleased" to see a referendum on his ideas. Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has said voters should be trusted to decide on the "huge change to the way in which British people will be governed" but the Blair government opposes a referendum. Shadow UK foreign secretary Michael Ancram said: "We will lose control of our home affairs. We will lose control, I believe, eventually of our foreign policy and our defense policy. I find these totally unacceptable."
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