MPs discuss their new EU role

Members of national parliaments across the EU met on 7-8 May in Brdo, Slovenia to discuss their new role in the EU legislative process, as they will have a greater saying when the Lisbon Treaty comes into force.

The discussion about the new strategy that national MPs should adopt was held during the Conference of Community and European Affairs Committees of Parliaments of the EU (COSAC), a biennial meeting in which six members from each parliament discuss EU matters.

The Lisbon Treaty gives national parliaments a bigger saying, as the EU Commission is required to notify parliaments of a proposed law, and they have 8 weeks to discuss it.

More important is the introduction of so-called yellow card and orange card. If one third of national parliament oppose a proposal, the Commission has to decide whether to maintain or modify it (yellow card). But if half of the national parliaments are against, the Commission has to withdraw its proposal (orange card).

In particular, parliaments have the opportunity to stop a legislative process at a EU level if they feel that the matter could be better dealt at a national level (the principle of subsidiarity).

COSAC said in a statement it welcomed “the strengthened role of national parliaments as laid down in the Treaty of Lisbon, which enables their better involvement in the EU decision-making process”.

Janez Jansa, the Prime Minister of Slovenia, which holds the rotating Presidency of the EU until June, said: “In terms of enhancing efficiency and promoting democracy the Lisbon Treaty promises further progress. It will give additional decision-making levers to the representatives elected directly by the citizens of Europe.”

“In even more areas, at European level, you will have the right and the obligation to participate in co-decision. (…) The extent to which the role of national parliaments is enhanced by the Lisbon Treaty will depend largely on yourselves.”

Portugal chooses symbolic day to ratify the Treaty

Portugal chose May 9, "Europe Day", to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, which was signed in the Portuguese capital last December. The ceremony symbolically took place on the 58th anniversary of the "Schuman Declaration", which in 1950 posed the basis for a "supranational European institution".

During the ratification ceremony, Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva said: "The treaty constitutes a step forward towards the construction of a more unified Europe, one more in solidarity."

MEP Joseph Daul, Chairman of the main group in the EU Parliament - the European People's Party, or EPP-ED - referring to the Portuguese ratification said in a statement: "The success of this vote, with opposition only from the Communist Party and the Bloco de Esquerda, is the guarantee of unequivocal support from Portugal for the reforms laid down in the Treaty, and demonstrates the participation of this country at the forefront of the new stages of European construction."

The Treaty was approved by the Portuguese Parliament in April with a large majority (208 voted in favour, 21 against), but needed the President's signature to be ratified.

One day before Portugal, on May 8, Latvia and Lithuania also ratified the Treaty, bringing to 13 the number of ratifications already occurred.

Portugal joined the European Union when it still was called European Economic Community (EEC) together with Spain, in 1986. Euro-enthusiasm in the country grew with the election of Jose' Manuel Barroso, a former Portuguese Prime Minister, as President of the EU Commission.

British High Court: EU referendum an "arguable case"

A millionaire businessman and major donor for the Conservative party is challenging British PM Gordon Brown for not giving the UK the possibility to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

Stuart Wheeler, 73, won on May 2 his battle to challenge the government's decision after it had promised a referendum on the EU constitution.

He claimed that there was no material difference between the late constitution and the reformed treaty and therefore the government should keep its promise to hold a referendum.

He said in his website:"The Labour Party, as well as the other two main parties, made an unambiguous promise that they would call one. They should keep that promise. The Treaty is immensely important and so, irrespective of whether people think it should be ratified or not, they should be allowed a vote on it."

In his judgement at the High Court Mr Justice Owen decided that permission to apply for judicial review should be granted because the case is "arguable". The hearing will take place on 9 and 10 June.

Since last December, the Labour government insisted that the Lisbon Treaty is not the same as the Constitutional Treaty. In the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (FCO), it stated that "EU’s 27 leaders have agreed that the constitutional concept has been abandoned."

It said: "There are substantial differences between the two Treaties, in form and in content. The Constitutional Treaty would have replaced all the existing Treaties and effectively re-founded the EU. The Lisbon Treaty takes the same approach as all previous amending Treaties. It amends the existing Treaties which Parliament has ratified and will not have constitutional characteristics."

Italy's President: ratification is a "priority"

Giorgio Napolitano, the President of the Italian Republic, said on April 29-30 he expected a quick ratification of the Lisbon Treaty by the new Italian government, which will be sworn in next week, after the centre-right coalition won April elections.

Speaking in Graz, Austria, at an informal meeting with EU heads of States, Mr Napolitano said: “I'm sure the new government will have as a priority the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.”

Newly-elected prime minister Silvio Berlusconi defeated his left-wing rival Walter Veltroni after early elections were called, following the unexpected collapse of his predecessor's leftist government, led by Romano Prodi who was President of the previous EU commission.

Mr Napolitano is known for being strongly Euro-enthusiast: he was an MEP in the 1990's and his speeches about the EU have always been very European-oriented.

Last year, Mr Napolitano said in a conference: "When I was an MEP, I had the opportunity to know how the EU parliament in Strasbourg works, and how important its role is in the developement of a stronger union between citizens, institutions and European peoples. This union protects the common values of dignity, equality, solidarity and justice."

An "impartial" website for the Irish ahead of June referendum

Irish voters now have one additional instrument to make up their mind ahead of the June referendum that will decide whether Ireland will approve or reject the Reform Treaty.

A new website, http://www.lisbontreaty2008.ie/, was launched on April 20 by an independent body, the Referendum Commission, to ensure that voters are "informed about the issues involved in the forthcoming referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon 2008."

The website says that "others will argue for a Yes or a No vote, but the Referendum Commission's role is to do neither". Its aim, as in every other referendum that Ireland has held in the past years, is to explain what this referendum is about and to encourage people to vote.

On April 28, the chairman of the Referendum Commission, Mr Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill, said in a press conference: "Already, there has been considerable public discussion of the Lisbon Treaty, with people on both sides of the debate making their arguments. Many people say there is confusion over what the Treaty would actually do."

He said that in the midst of "heated exchanges", the Referendum Commission would give "an independent, neutral and clear interpretation of what people are being asked to vote upon."

The new website explains in five pages what the 300-page Treaty is about, how the European Union functions at present and how its activities will change if the Treaty comes into force.

It also explains who is entitled to vote, how to register and what to do before the vote.

In May, 2 million copies of the Refrendum Commission's handbook will be distributed to to all voting households, explaining the main issues in just 14 pages.

Czech Senate postopones ratification to seek Constitutional Court approval

The Czech Senate on April 24 decided to postpone the vote on the Reform Treaty, asking the Constitutional Court to see whether it was in line with Czech law.

The ratification, which was scheduled for April, was delayed after a majority of 48 in the 81-member Senate decided to ask for the opinion of the highest national Court, to see if the Treaty would conform to the country’s constitution.

Senators asked for an assessment of six points, including whether the change from a unanimity vote to a majority vote in many areas of the EU legislation would be in line with the Czech Constitution.

They also asked if the Czech Republic would have a legal obligation to observe the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, wich is integral part of the Lisbon Treaty.

Sona Paukrtova, senator from the opposition party Open Democracy Club (KOD) said that there was no reason to call on the Constitutional Court.

She said that the ruling party, the Civic Democrats (ODS), had insisted to have the Treaty assessed, but the opposition was in favour of a quick ratification.

A poll released in April showed that more than half of Czech voters were in favour of the Treaty. According to the poll, released by STEM, of 1,341 Czech citizens surveyed, 53 percent said that their parliament should ratify the Treaty.

Irish minister says Treaty would secure taxation and neutrality

Ireland will not have its neutrality and tax sovereignty affected if it ratifies the Lisbon Treaty, Irish foreign minister Dermot Ahern TD said on April 17.

Speaking at the Forum on Europe, Mr Ahern welcomed the EU Commission president Jose' Manuel Barroso’s visit to Dublin and said that the Irish national interest would indeed be secured by the Treaty.

He said: “We believe that the Reform Treaty sets up the Union to continue to take the interests of all Member States - large and small - into account.”

“It recognises our common interests while at the same time respecting vital individual national interests, such as taxation and defence in our case, where decisions can only be taken by unanimity.”

His party, Fianna Fail, the largest in Ireland and currently part of the coalition government, is leading the campaign for a Yes vote.

But Patricia McKenna of the People’s Movement, which campaigns against any measures that further develop EU integration, called his statement “false and misleading” and said that Barroso’s visit was a “gross interference by the EU institutions in Ireland’s internal affairs”.

She said: “The visit is not only inappropriate, but clearly designed to give Irish voters a false sense of security in relation to this issue of taxation and the comments by the Commission president are clearly stage managed by PM Bertie Ahern, to reduce concern on one of the most significant aspects of public concern on the Lisbon Treaty.”

The Lisbon Treaty extends qualified majority voting to new policy areas and requires less unanimity votes on issues such as fighting climate change, energy security and emergency humanitarian aid to hot-spots around the globe .

However, unanimity will be retained in areas including tax, foreign policy, defence and social security.