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| Big guns aims to boost EU power |
| 2004-02-19 |
| GERMANY, France and Britain have conceded that Europe is far from its goal of rivalling the US as an economic power and have called for a new push to cut red tape, promote new technologies and avert a crisis in social programs that Europeans hold dear. Dear is the operative word. As in they can’t afford them Demonstrating unity today after last year’s divisions over Iraq, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair dismissed fears among countries not invited to their summit that the big three nations were ganging up to dictate Europe’s agenda. They shouldn’t worry. Nothing is going to happen. This is just another gab-fest. The summit, at the chancellery in Berlin, came at a crucial time for the European Union, deadlocked in efforts to give itself a constitution as 10 new members – mostly former communist nations of eastern Europe – line up to join on May 1, raising membership to 25 countries. "Let’s be frank about this: We came together after a very difficult period in international relations when we were on different sides of a particular issue," Blair said, referring to the Iraq war that he supported and the two others vehemently opposed. All three leaders emphasised the need for changes to make Europe’s economy more dynamic and business-friendly to reduce unemployment – but also to uphold welfare-state comforts financed by a shrinking pool of working people as Europe’s population ages. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. "We must change the social security systems we have built up in our countries," Schroeder said. "Only if we change them will we be able to keep them. Only if we change them will they be affordable." Schroeder has faced stiff popular resistance since he launched limited welfare-state reforms last year. Chirac, whose country has seen huge protests against cuts to pension benefits, echoed the German leader’s remarks. "Reforms are necessary if we want to avoid seeing our system lead us to situations that would be totally dramatic in the 20 years to come," he said. "We must face – and we are well aware of it – the ageing of our populations." All of this was known years ago, but only now are they prepared to pull their heads out of the ground and at least acknowledge the problem. Too late,I’m afraid. The three leaders offered few specific solutions but noted problems that have dogged Europe for years: too little spending on research and development, bureaucratic hurdles to launching businesses and widespread early retirement. And then they held up their hands and sighed Citing the EU’s ambition of becoming the world’s leading economic power by 2010, the leaders acknowledged that "growth and productivity in Europe remain too weak". Yup, reality check. While Germany and France have traditionally led the drive for European integration, Britain has increasingly joined in with initiatives in areas such as nuclear diplomacy with Iran and building up European rapid reaction forces. This was their third three-way meeting in five months. Other EU nations such as Spain and Italy expressed alarm at the prospect of a new, exclusive club trying to run Europe. "Beware. Nobody in Europe is ready to be a second-class citizen. Europe is made up of 25 countries, not of three," Italy’s European affairs minister, Rocco Buttiglione, told BBC radio shortly before the summit. But Schroeder said: "We don’t want to dominate anyone, least of all Europe". Mainly because we can’t "In the end, the problems are similar all over," he said. We are all doomed, said Hanrahan, the bastard from the bush Blair said the three countries had almost half of Europe’s population and more than half of its wealth. "If we can come to clear agreements on the way forward to make our economies work better in the future, that is a good thing for our three countries but also it is a good thing for Europe and there shouldn’t be any, in my view, sensitivity about this," he said. The operative word being "if" |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #2 That's a classic, BH!!! |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-2-19 12:53:11 PM |
| #1 After the summit, the remaining non-striking population of France promptly went on strike. You know Europe is in the shitcan when even Germany doesn't want to dominate it. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-2-19 10:56:35 AM |