Post by Jaga on Jun 22, 2007 22:15:31 GMT -7
I am glad that finally Polish president compromised:
June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Poland bowed to an overhaul of the European Union's decision-making system in a late concession at a tension-filled summit that reopened cracks between Europe's east and west and rich and poor.
Outnumbered 26 to 1 at the marathon summit in Brussels, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he would back a shift in the EU's policymaking system that he had criticized for handing too much power to larger countries such as Germany.
``It was often difficult, even in the small details, because everyone's will to compromise was stretched to the limit,'' German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a press conference early today after chairing the meeting.
The near-collapse of the summit reawakened concern that the EU, with a half-century-old institutional setup that allows solitary countries to block sensitive decisions, is failing to come together to project its influence on the world stage.
``We have a crisis of different ideologies,'' Jo Leinen, a member of the European Parliament, told reporters. ``With 27 members the time is over that one member can stop everyone else.''
EU leaders set an end-of-year deadline to negotiate a new governing treaty so it can be ratified in time for the European Parliament elections in 2009. Those talks won't be ``a pure formality,'' Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said. ``This won't be a very easy job.''
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVR9sTyFaFLM&refer=home
June 23 (Bloomberg) -- Poland bowed to an overhaul of the European Union's decision-making system in a late concession at a tension-filled summit that reopened cracks between Europe's east and west and rich and poor.
Outnumbered 26 to 1 at the marathon summit in Brussels, Polish President Lech Kaczynski said he would back a shift in the EU's policymaking system that he had criticized for handing too much power to larger countries such as Germany.
``It was often difficult, even in the small details, because everyone's will to compromise was stretched to the limit,'' German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a press conference early today after chairing the meeting.
The near-collapse of the summit reawakened concern that the EU, with a half-century-old institutional setup that allows solitary countries to block sensitive decisions, is failing to come together to project its influence on the world stage.
``We have a crisis of different ideologies,'' Jo Leinen, a member of the European Parliament, told reporters. ``With 27 members the time is over that one member can stop everyone else.''
EU leaders set an end-of-year deadline to negotiate a new governing treaty so it can be ratified in time for the European Parliament elections in 2009. Those talks won't be ``a pure formality,'' Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said. ``This won't be a very easy job.''
www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aVR9sTyFaFLM&refer=home
