[A-List] UK eurozone membership: Hain again

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Hain plays down any poll on EU future

Restructuring mainly a matter of tidying up, says chief negotiator

Patrick Wintour, chief political correspondent
Wednesday May 14, 2003
The Guardian

Labour aims to kill off calls for a referendum on the future of the EU by
ensuring the forthcoming restructuring of Europe is mainly a tidying
up-exercise, Britain's chief negotiator, Peter Hain, predicted yesterday.

Mr Hain was speaking ahead of what he described as the vital end-game of
talks starting tomorrow at the Convention on the future of Europe in
Brussels. The convention is due to present proposals on a new European
constitution to EU heads of state at a summit in Greece in June.

"This convention is not going within 100 miles of a European superstate," he
said despite a belated pitch by the Conservatives to portray the treaty as a
"new tyranny".

Mr Hain conceded that Britain was still facing big battles on the future of
EU foreign policy, the powers of a new president of the EU council, the
blocking powers of national parliaments, and the legal enforceability in
domestic law of the new charter of European rights.

But he has chosen to adopt the image of a confident participant, rather than
the traditional British role of a beleaguered minority fighting off the
federalist hordes.

He pointed to coming victories, including a new right for national
parliaments to direct the commission to rethink proposals if a third of
national parliaments regard the measure as breaching the principle of
subsidiarity. "If a third of national parliaments tell the commission 'you
should not be doing this because it is our show', it is inconceivable the
commission would march on regardless," he said.

He conceded that Britain had more work to do to ensure foreign policy
decisions were not subject to qualified majority voting and could not be
referred to European Court of Justice jurisdiction.

"Iraq showed Europe was divided down the middle and it was not possible to
have a common foreign policy, but in a lot of other areas, such as Kashmir,
Africa and the Middle East, a common policy would help."

He backed the idea of merging the role of the external affairs commissioner,
held by Chris Patten, with the high representative role conducted by Javier
Solana.

Britain is also an enthusiastic advocate of turning the current president of
the EU council into a full-time post held for 30 months. The post would be
held by a former prime minister or president in the European council.

"The public will identify more with Europe by having a figure that they know
speaks for governments on areas that are proper to governments," Mr Hain
said. "Citizens elect national governments and then those heads of
government will elect a single figure representing them: that offers a chain
of accountability and visibility that does not exist at present."

Beneath the president would be a team presidency, so giving more member
states a chance to shape the EU. He denied this new role would clash with
the EU commission president.

Mr Hain also sought to assuage fears among smaller states, saying: "Nothing
will debar the council president coming from small states."

Equally the planned reduction in the number of commissioners need not
disadvantage small countries, he insisted. "People must be appointed on the
basis of quality, not nationality."

The most fraught, and complex, talks remain over the enforceability of the
charter of fundamental rights agreed in 2000. "We will only consider
bringing the charter into the treaty if it is done in such a way that it
cannot alter our domestic law," he said.

"It is out of the question that a hospital trust could be taken to the court
because it had not provided someone with a hip operation. We want a block to
ensure the charter cannot seep down into our domestic law. We are not there
yet, and if we cannot negotiate it it, we will make sure the charter is not
in the treaty."

Overall, Mr Hain urged calm. "I always knew the Tories would play the
Eurosceptic card at some stage, but it is classic scaremongering by little
Englanders. Three-quarters of the new treaty will come from existing EU
treaties."