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Yesterday the House of Lords voted 280 to 218 against allowing the public a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, killing off any hope of Labour honoring its manifesto pledge to hold a referendum. There is very limited coverage in the press. Liberal Democrats, who also supported a referendum at the election, and abstained in the Commons, voted against a referendum in the Lords. If they had not done so, the referendum would have been passed.
The Mail reports that the Conservatives have claimed that the Lib Dem U-turn was evidence of Nick Clegg's collapsing authority within his party, saying he was forced to back down after senior Lib Dems, including the party's Lords' leader Lord McNally, refused his demand to abstain. However the Lib Dem whips office in the Lords said they had decided to vote against the referendum amendment because the Commons had already made its position clear - and that took primacy. A leader in the paper describes the Lib Dem position in the Lords as "contemptible".
On his blog, Dan Hannan MEP comments on the "false, fleeting, perjured Liberals. They promised in their manifesto to support a referendum on the European Constitution. When the moment came, they welshed, claiming that what they wanted instead was a "proper" referendum on British membership of the EU. But, when precisely such a motion was put in the Lords, they refused to back it. Now they have again voted against a referendum on the Constitution. In defiance of all their promises, of all honour, of every democratic principle, of their history and of their very name, the Liberal Democrats have now set their faces against any referendum ever. They dislike and distrust their own electorate." On his blog Iain Dale argues that "The LibDems confirmed their status as the 'right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing' party."
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Yes campaign confident of victory in Irish referendum;
Constitution will still be passed even if Ireland votes no, say EU officials;
Irish officials cover up consequences of Lisbon
Voting has begun in Ireland, the only EU state to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. The FT Brussels blog says that the Yes campaign are confident of winning. Irish Europe Minister Dick Roche told El Pais: "We think that certainly within the last 72 hours there has been a big swing towards the Yes", citing private polling carried out by the government. The FT notes that a second Irish referendum would be difficult, because there are several reasons why people are voting no.
The Telegraph reports that officials in Brussels are working on plans to ensure that Lisbon is still implemented elsewhere if Ireland votes against it in the referendum. One diplomat said a "bridging mechanism" was being discussed. If Ireland rejects the treaty, it may simply be removed from the list of signatories and will not be legally obliged to abide by it. By late 2009 or early 2010, when Croatia joins the EU, an amending "Accession Treaty" (with a new protocol giving opt-outs to Dublin) will be signed by all members including Dublin. Since Ireland, like the rest of the Europe, does not hold referendums on EU enlargement treaties, the measure could be put though the Irish parliament without a popular vote.
One official told the newspaper, "This mechanism would be no more incomprehensible or legalistic than the Treaty itself. It is probably no more difficult than the legal footwork necessary to turn the Constitutional Treaty into [the] Lisbon [Treaty] after the French and Dutch rejected it."
Secret minutes seen by the Telegraph show that Ireland's EU Ambassador, Bobby McDonagh, pleaded with his colleagues to keep the talks and Dublin's position confidential. Before setting out Dublin's detailed and decided position on both the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the role of the foreign minister, now called a High Representative (HR) for foreign affairs, Bobby McDonagh urged secrecy: "[We] have to remain cautious in presenting these issues [referendum]!," the minutes record.
Seamus Milne argues in the Guardian that "subordination to the US or an undemocratic neoliberal superstate is no choice at all. Instead, political alliances need to be constructed for a different kind of Europe. If Irish voters are intimidated into backing the treaty today, public alienation from the EU will continue to grow, along with rightwing nationalism. But if they manage to boot it out, they could help kickstart the essential process of change and give a voice to millions across the continent."
A leader in the Mail argues "Don't hold your breath. But if the Irish vote No today, all freedom-loving Europeans will have cause to raise a grateful glass of the black stuff in their honour." Irish voter and blogger Guido Fawkes argues "Ireland was Europe's first colony, we are now the last sovereign democracy. For ourselves and all those who have no voice, the Irish must say 'No'." The Politics Home poll of political insiders suggests that there would be pressure for a referendum in the UK if the Irish vote no.
Yesterday Open Europe's Lorraine Mullally appeared on French radio station BFM to discuss the Irish referendum. Neil O'Brien appeared on the BBC World Service.
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New EU Justice Commissioner is a convicted fraudster
Page 2 of the Sun reports that the EU's new Justice Commissioner Jacques Barrot is a "convicted fraudster." Barrot was given an eight-month suspended jail sentence in France in 2000 for swindling government money. He was later pardoned by former French President Jacques Chirac, a close friend. Barrot was never barred from holding public office and failed to declare his past when he joined the European Commission as Transport Commissioner in 2000. The Sun notes that his new job as Justice Commissioner will make him the second most powerful man in the EU, with control over laws on environmental crime, seizure of terrorist funds, copyright and patents across the 27 member states. The Lisbon Treaty will also give him power to dictate how EU countries operate criminal law, policing, courts, rules of evidence, immigration and border controls. He will be paid £160,000 a year. Open Europe is quoted saying, "To say this smacks of poacher turned gamekeeper is an understatement."
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Spectator calls for "zero tolerance" on euro sleaze
A leader in the Spectator argues that "The Conservatives won the 1999 European elections because a majority of the public is still unconvinced by the institution that is the EU. They see laws issuing from Brussels without the democratic debate which precedes Westminster legislation. They see officials' extravagant spending, and the EU's auditors refusing to sign off the accounts for the past 12 years. And they see -- or they saw -- the Conservatives as the party most likely to hold it to account."
"It is especially damaging, then, to learn that Tory MEPs have pressed their noses deep in the European trough. As we write, 15 out of 28 Tory MEPs are still refusing to comply with David Cameron's request to disclose their expenses. It is not enough for them to attempt to reassure us that they are not breaking European parliament rules. The extravagances of the European parliament are widely known; taxpayers have every right to expect that their elected representatives will exercise restraint."
Daniel Hannan MEP argues on his blog: "It seems disproportionate that Conservative MEPs, who have come clean about who handles their staff allowances, are being clobbered over information that they have voluntarily placed before the public, while Labour and Lib Dem MEPs, most of whom have refused to disclose equivalent information, have received almost no attention. I'm not trying to justify any wrong-doing: I'm simply wondering why there is no pressure on the other parties to declare where their allowances have gone."
He also criticises the press in other EU countries for not holding their MEPs to account: "It's striking how dismissive people on the Continent can be about Britain's 'Europhobic' press. But at least our papers are discharging their primary investigative role. When are their European counterparts going to do the same thing?"
A piece in the New Statesman on the MPs' and MEPs' expenses scandal quotes an unnamed backbencher saying of MEPs, "It's always been frustrating that they have better food, wine, weather and scams. It's about time they got found out. It is just a shame that it puts us so much in the spotlight now."
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£15bn Severn Barrage construction being driven by Brussels targets
The Guardian reports that the £15bn Severn Barrage is being viewed as "one of the most attractive options" for meeting the EU's targets for renewable energy use - which will require a ten-fold increase in the UK's electricity sourced from renewables by 2020, and will mean nearly 40% of electricity sourced from renewables by 2020.
A report commissioned by a coalition of 10 environmental groups however has highlighted the severe environmental risks posed by the project, and has found that the real cost could be much higher than the widely quoted £15bn. "This does not take into account costs of land acquisition in Cardiff and Weston or the creation of new wildlife habitats to compensate for the lost land," a spokesperson told the paper.
The Government has refused to answer a written question on how much was provided by each strategic health authority to fund the NHS European Office in Brussels.
New EU law to ban dogs from bed & breakfasts?
The Telegraph reports that owners of bed and breakfasts have been banned from keeping dogs in their kitchens under a new EU health and safety law. It is reported that B&B owners have reacted saying that they would rather close than turn out the family pet. David Weston, Chairman of the British Bed and Breakfast Association, said: "These regulations weren't designed to cover people's homes, which is essentially what a B&B is. Most members practise good standards of cleanliness anyway. We think the regulations should be enforced in a commonsense way."
EU mulls energy efficiency tax breaks
EUobserver reports that the President of the European Commission Jose Barroso is to present a paper on the energy situation at the European Council next week. The study will also look into the impact on the fisheries, agriculture, transport, chemicals, automobile and renewable energy sectors. Referring to "Robin Hood taxes", a Commission spokesman said that the executive would carefully consider the possibility of taxing profits from energy companies to redistribute to those hardest hit by the price rises. Energy companies have strongly benefited from the rise in oil prices. But he added that while there is a "case to look at the situation", it should not interfere with "businesses' capability to make the necessary investments in order to guarantee steady supply." Any suggestions by the Commission on the use of tax incentives, including reduce VAT rates, to encourage energy savings will be made after the summer.
Lords Ashdown and Robertson call for a greater EU defence role
In the Times Lords George Robertson and Paddy Ashdown argue that in order to tackle the perils of globalisation, "we need a new era of multinational institution-building, and a deepened level of security and defence collaboration inside the EU. On both, we need to match the talking with action." They argue, "In Europe there is no area of threat that couldn't be more effectively addressed through deeper collaborative effort", calling for "greater defence cooperation" and arguing "The drive to create EU battle groups should be accelerated, made fully compatible with Nato response forces and should form the basis of an emerging European counter-insurgency capacity capable of operating in failed states and post-conflict environments."
They say: "We also need improved EU intelligence co-operation to combat terrorism and organised crime, the creation of integrated EU special forces, and a serious increase in gendarmerie forces. But even this will not be enough. The EU nations don't just need collaboration on new formations, they need to spend money on the right kit, on the right numbers of troops with the right training to handle today's complex missions; and above all they need to be prepared to use it all. This means more collaboration in defence planning and procurement - to make the European whole greater than the sum of the national parts, but it also means far greater political will than has been on show so far."
EUobserver reports that "The EU has voiced frustration over 'worrying signs' of protectionism in the United States, pointing to a planned increase of US farm subsidies as well as some anti-terrorism measures such as mandatory scanning of all goods containers entering American territory."
The FT reports that Italy is to back France in support of a more protectionist EU, in return for support for the Mediterranean Union.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus has an article in the FT, arguing that the euro is not working, and its first real test is looming.
French Senators may scrap referendum requirement for Turkey's EU accession
The French Senate's foreign affairs and defence committee has moved to scrap the new clause in the French constitution stating that holding a referendum would be obligatory to approve the EU accession of any country whose population surpasses five percent of the EU population (about 500 million people). The committee said that the provision introduced by the National Assembly "could appear to be directed against a friendly state and ally of France, that is Turkey," and is "likely to cause grave harm to diplomatic relations between France and this country."
The front page of Le Monde reports that Libya's Colonel Gaddafi has rejected Nicolas Sarkozy's idea for a Mediterranean Union, branding it a "humiliation". During an Arab summit in Tripoli he said, "We're not starving people, nor dogs for them [the Europeans] to throw us bones."
Le Monde reports that France's prominent green campaigner and broadcaster Nicolas Hulot has called for "radical measures at European level" to tackle "the ecological crisis".
Estonia and Finland have ratified the Lisbon Treaty, which also passed through the Dutch lower house.
European Voice European Voice 2 EUobserver
The EU has postponed a decision on whether to keep controversial Iran opposition group PMOI on its terrorist register, amid renewed diplomatic efforts to stop Tehran's nuclear enrichment programme.
UK
Britain will not oppose the lifting of EU sanctions on Cuba, as a result of a deal Gordon Brown made with a Labour backbencher to secure his vote for 42 day detention.
A report for the DWP has found that British workers "lack the skills and motivation" to compete with migrants from the EU accession states.
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