The notion that the EU will become a United States of Europe is one that inspires the continent’s Euro-enthusiasts and horrifies its Euro-skeptics in equal measure. That day remains a very long way off. It is not just last week’s battering of the EU constitution by French and Dutch voters that proves it. The reaction from most of its leaders does as well; it was a classic case of putting national interests first, European ones last. Most visible has been UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. His decision to ditch Britain’s planned referendum on the constitution was taken purely with domestic interests in mind — his own in relation to the British public that is, rather than those of the British public in relation to Europe. The argument used, that the constitution has been killed off by the French and Dutch votes, was an excuse. It is far too early to come to that conclusion. The Danish, Irish and others are still to hold their referendums. If just three of four EU members say no, the agreement was that the constitution would still stand; effectively, the no-voters would be asked to think again. Blair should have waited — at least until the Euro summit next week that will decide what happens next. Instead, playing to the Euroskeptics in the British public gallery, he has taken a unilateral decision that affects all Europe. By saying that the British will not now vote does more to kill off the constitution than anything French and Dutch voters have done.
A political tour de force it may have been as far as British politics go, but it was irresponsible, all the more so because Britain is about to take over the six-month rotating EU presidency and, with it, the job of solving the problem. How can the constitution be saved when the president has so spectacularly doomed it? Britain will regret this. It does not need to worry about what President Chirac thinks — and whether Chancellor Schroeder will be history in three month’s time; but it was actively courting friends among the new intake of EU members. They are not going to thank the UK. They want the constitution to succeed.
But if Blair is playing the little Englander, President Chirac, so humiliated and damaged by the French referendum result, is doing his version of the same. His sudden interest in ending the British rebate worth 4.5 billion euros has nothing to do with concern over EU finances. He wants to divert domestic attention from the constitution and his plummeting popularity. The French are not going to fall for it, even though they enjoy a bit of Brit-bashing. They are no fools. They know that the British are not going to agree to a change. EU funding falls disproportionately on the UK; without the rebate it would be the largest contributor to the budget by a long way, making a net contribution 15 times that of France. The logical way out is to reform the way the EU is funded, but that is not what Chirac proposes. This latest row, with the Germans and the French on one side and the British on the other, is almost comfortingly familiar. What it shows is just how little the EU has changed in the past 20 years. It may be bigger in numbers, but European politicians are still busy playing national politics with the European football. The US of E is still a pipe dream.
