Airstrip One

Jumping the Gun

D'Estaing may have miscalculated the strength of federalist feeling in the European Convention when publishing the draft of the Constitution. The document's inclusion of defence has received a negative response in Finland. In Ireland, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, Dublin MEP mooted that "that Mr Giscard was primarily interested in a congress as a vehicle for his own self-aggrandisement". No. 10's response was supportive and bland, despite press spin to show an edge of opposition.

The Press have concentrated on various aspects: the Presidency, the Congress of the Peoples of Europe, the right to withdraw, common citizenship and the common defence policy. Other important headings in the document that have not been emphasised concern: 'constructive abstentionism'; the suspension of membership; the administration of "certain competences on a federal basis"; and, the laughable injunction for the Union "to provide and promote open, effective and unostentatious administration";

Worrying aspects are the promotion of common defence, security and foreign policies; of common police and crime policies; and that "the Union budget is financed by own resources and sets out the procedure for establishing system of own resources" - the power to set taxes in EUspeak, although it has to be a balanced budget.

The whole document can be read here, and whilst it is dull, is worth examining (It is in pdf format).