Poland threatens to veto EU constitution
Poland’s President Aleksander Kwasniewski has threatened to veto the proposed European Union constitution.
Ahead of the start of EU summit in Brussels this weekend, Mr Kwasniewski said in Berlin yesterday he would not ratify the constitution if the east European country’s voting powers were weakened.
The treaty requires unanimity.
Under the new text, EU laws in future will need a “double majority” to be approved. Proposals will require the support of half the EU states.
Joined by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, Poland wants to stick to the voting system outlined in the 2000 Nice Treaty.
Britain remains neutral.
Under Nice, the countries have voting power similar to power players Germany and France, despite having smaller populations.
But under the new constitution and with 10 new countries to join the EU, voting will be proportionate to population size.
Tony Blair is to have an “emergency” breakfast this morning with Jacques Chirac, the president of France, and Gerhard Schr?der, the German chancellor, to discuss how to break the deadlock on the issue.
Mr Schr?der has threatened to ditch the draft unless a deal on voting can be thrashed out. The draft constitution gives Germany a dominant position.
Mr Schr?der said new entrants to the EU such as Poland should not start their membership with a veto.
Romano Prodi, the president of the European Commission, has proposed a phased in system of constitutional reform, with some parts not binding until 2014.
