Conservative MEPs support a Europe of Nation States and reject a European Superstate. We want a Europe that values the diversity of the 27 Member States.
In 2004, the Labour Government signed up to a European Constitution that:
- Transferred major new powers from Britain to the European Union.
- Gave the EU a 'legal personality' for the first time allowing it to sign international treaties.
- Created a new post of President of the EU.
- Created a new post of EU Foreign Minister with a fully-fledged diplomatic service.
- Created a European foreign policy and in time a European defence policy.
- Established a so-called 'Charter of Rights' that would allow the European Court a massive say in British laws.
- Gave the EU its own national anthem and flag - the symbols of a state.
Also in 2004, Conservatives campaigned vigorously to persuade the Labour Government to hold a referendum on the Constitution. Eventually and reluctantly, Tony Blair gave way to popular demands for a referendum.
In 2005, the peoples of two founding EU countries - France and the Netherlands - rejected the Constitution in referendums. In the aftermath of these shock results, the EU said that it needed a 'period of reflection' to decide what the fate of the Constitution should now be.
In June 2007, the European Council (the Presidents and Prime Ministers of EU countries) brought this 'reflection' to a conclusion by announcing that it would drop the title 'Constitution' but move forward to implement all the main provisions of the Constitution. They decided to do this by means of a new 'Reform Treaty' which would be ratified all Member States of the EU by the time of the next European elections in 2009. The only country so far to say that they will hold a referendum is Ireland which must do so because its own constitution says it must do so.
Most European leaders have made clear that there is no real difference between the old, rejected Constitution and the new proposed 'Reform Treaty'. However, there is one major exception - the British Government and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. He claims that the new treaty is not the same as the constitution - so there is no reason to have a referendum in Britain.
We say the two are almost identical in every major respect. This is what the European leaders say about the new treaty.
Irish Prime Minister , Bertie Ahern says: "... thankfully they haven't changed the substance - 90% of it is still there".
German Chancellor , Angela Merkel says: "The fundamentals of the Constitution have been maintained in large part".
Spanish Prime Minister , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero says: "A great part of the European Constitution is captured in the new treaties".
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , the former French President and author of the original Constitution says: "The text consists, in effect, of a revival of a large part of the substance of the Constitutional Treaty".
THE ONLY EUROPEAN LEADER WHO SAYS THE CONSTITUTION AND THE NEW TREATY ARE DIFFERENT IS GORDON BROWN.
THE LABOUR GOVERNMENT PROMISED THE BRITISH PEOPLE A REFERENDUM ON THE EUROPEAN CONSTITUTION IN THEIR 2005 GENERAL ELECTION MANIFESTO.
NOW GORDON BROWN MUST DELIVER ON THAT ELECTION PROMISE.