Downing Street Says » EU Constitution

» Wednesday, January 17, 2007

EU Constitution

Asked if it was still the case that we were committed to a referendum on the EU Constitution, given that Angela Merkel had said that one of her priorities was to revive the Constitution in some form or another, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) replied that we should take things step by step. Obviously the first step was to try and reach a consensus on the way forward, but that had to reflect not only the position of the EU Presidency, but also the positions on the ground including France and Holland above all, given the results of the referenda there.

Asked whether this issue would come up this afternoon during the Prime Minister’s meeting with the French PM this afternoon, and what else would be on the agenda, the PMOS replied that it would be a freewheeling discussion so he could neither confirm nor deny the possibility that this issue would arise.

Asked whether it was still our position that there were fundamental flaws in the running of a 25 member EU and that some changes needed to be made, the PMOS replied that the Prime Minister had made clear his consistent view was that an EU of 25 members could not be run the way an EU of 6,12, or 15 members, therefore there would have to be changes. Those changes had to go with the grain of where the EU was, and the EU was very much focused on practical outcomes on issues such as energy. Let us see where we get to rather than speculate come about.

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