Airstrip One

Where do the smaller states stand? - 30th November 2002, 20.39

The Commission will submit its proposal for the future of the European Union this week and envisages a greater role for itself.

However, Mr Prodi would go further, by proposing a system in which the Commission could eventually have the sole right of putting forward proposals in the EU in areas as diverse as foreign affairs, EU-level economic policy and judicial matters.

Member states would retain the right of final decision.

The Commission argues that it has the right and the authority to decide large swathes of policy, although member states would finally decide, by qualified majority voting. Prodi does even recognise that a 'democratic deficit' exists and wishes to perpetuate rule by incompetent tranzicrats. These proposals are at odds with the wishes of the larger countries: France, Spain, Italy and Great Britain.

However, they are blessed by an emergent grouping of the small states who do not wish to be dominated by their bigger brothers.

A similar line is held by an emerging coalition of smaller countries, led by the Benelux states, but including Portugal, Austria, Finland and Greece, as well as several applicant countries.

The details are most advanced in the foreign policy area where the representative, currently Javier Solana, would be incorporated into the Commission and lose all accountability to the member states. Worryingly for Blair, intergovernmentalism is not an attractive model for other members of the EU.