Britain is being bashed again by France and Germany—"Old Europe"—for refusing to follow those nations' lead on European matters. The European summit marking the end of Luxembourg's six-month European Union presidency ended in failure to agree on an 870 billion euro budget for 2007–2013. French center-right daily newspaper Le Figaro reported that French President Chirac, German Chancellor Schroeder and Luxembourg's Prime Minister Juncker all pointed to British Prime Minister Tony Blair as responsible for the summit's failure.
Britain will hold the EU's rotating presidency from July through December of this year. In addition, Britain is the 2005 chair for the "G8" group of leading industrialized nations, which meet yearly to discuss pressing international issues. London Telegraph political editor Patrick Hennessy wrote about Chirac's plans to disrupt both Britain's EU presidency and Blair's hosting of the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland from July 6–8. Hennessy wrote that Chirac had vowed to make things as tough as possible for Blair after the two leaders fought each other to a standstill and traded insults over Blair's refusal to renegotiate Britain's three-billion-pound-per-year EU budget rebate unless Chirac agreed to renegotiate the Common Agriculture Policy (which pays big subsidies to French farmers). The Telegraph reported that Chirac will fight any UK-led attempt to begin wide-ranging economic reforms of the Union during Britain's EU presidency. Chirac also planned to arrive a day late to the G8 summit. German Chancellor Schroeder said that a budget agreement would have been possible were it not for the "inflexible" position of the British and Dutch. It should be noted, however, that the UK and the Netherlands both pay proportionately much more than France to—and get less from—the EU budget.
The London Telegraph notes that Prime Ministers Thatcher and Major, as well as current Prime Minister Blair, all tried to put Britain into the heart of Europe—only to end up isolated. Blair in particular has made concession after concession to the EU, in hopes of winning influence. He reversed the UK's long-standing opposition to EU military capacity outside of NATO. He ratified the Amsterdam and Nice treaties, discarding the British national veto in many areas. He adopted EU Social Chapter rules, reducing the UK's competitive advantage. But none of this was enough.
Germany and France—both with sluggish economies, restless electorates and unemployment above 10 percent—found it easier to blame Blair for the summit failure over the budget, rather than to have a serious discussion about the future course of Europe after the French and Dutch peoples' massive rejection of the proposed EU Constitution.
As long-time readers of Tomorrow's World magazine know, Bible prophecy indicates that Britain will face continued opposition, sniping and criticism from a Europe that will eventually become a power rivaling the United States in world affairs. This latest spat between "Old Europe" and Britain is part of a sequence of events that will conclude with the UK being isolated, along with the United States, in opposition to a resurgent Europe that will seek to impose its own elite-driven view of order on the world.
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The above is adapted from one of the many commentaries available at the www.lcg.org and www.tomorrowsworld.org Web sites on vital topics facing our world.