GEF @ 6:38 AM MST
Merkel hails signing of EU Reform Treaty
BERLIN, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed here on Wednesday the signing of the long-awaited EU Reform Treaty in Lisbon, saying it is a milestone for the European Union (EU).
“This day marks a historic success, a success for Europe,” Merkel told the German parliament on Wednesday, a day before leaders of the EU’s 27 member states are to sign the treaty in Lisbon.
Merkel said the treaty, designed to make the bloc more effective and transparent, lays the basis for a European Union of the 21st century.
Germany planned to start the ratification process next year and complete it by May 2008, she said.
Merkel said she hoped other countries would follow suit so that the treaty, designed to replace the constitution that were rejected by French and Dutch voters, could come into effect in 2009.
On Thursday, Merkel will join other EU leaders for the signing of the Reform Treaty in Lisbon. Following that they will travel to Brussels for a summit dealing with globalization, security policy and foreign affairs.
The chancellor said the summit would issue a declaration on globalization, setting out the EU’s position in the race to gain the upper hand in international competitiveness.
Alert Truman and prepare the world for bad news….
No good can come of this…
More on this….
Soon they’re going to form an EU military….
New EU treaty sealed in Lisbon
By MaltaMedia News
Dec 13, 2007 – 1:10:56 PM
A new set of rules for the European Union was signed at a monastery in the Portuguese capital on Thursday morning, officially turning the document into the Treaty of Lisbon. The Lisbon Treaty is designed to speed up decision-making in the expanded European Union. It will also create a new president of the European Council, a new EU foreign affairs chief, a reformed voting system and scrap vetoes in dozens of areas.
The Maltese Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi flew to Lisbon on Thursday to meet with the other EU leaders for the signing of the new treaty for the European Union.
With the new Treaty, Malta will retain the minimum capping of six seats in the European Parliament for a Member States. This means that in the 2009 European Parliament elections, Malta will get an extra representative on the present five. The Maltese Parliament had unanimously ratified the Constitution for Europe on 6 July 2005. It is expected that the Lisbon Treaty will again be passed solely through the Maltese Parliament without holding a referendum.
PM Gonzi was also accompanied by Foreign Minister Michael Frendo and Malta’s Permanent Representative to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana.
Meanwhile, Dr Gonzi is currently in Brussels for the European Council meeting to be held on Friday.
In the last-minute negotiations, Italy gained an extra seat in the future European Parliament, returning it to parity with the UK and restoring Italian national pride, a BBC correspondent said. Poland secured a guarantee that small groups of countries would be able to delay EU decisions they do not like – a victory for the Polish government just days before Sunday’s early parliamentary election, she adds.
Earlier, Austria reached a deal over its bid to maintain quotas for foreign students, with the European Commission agreeing to suspend for five years its legal action over the country’s quota. Bulgaria also won the right to call the EU single currency the “evro”, rather than euro, in its Cyrillic alphabet, BBC added.
This is not good news… ugh!
I bet Bush will really give Merkel a massage now…
http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/V/b/1/bush_groping_merkel.jpg
LOL
…hey we no longer RULE the world – we have no credibility, no ethics, no moral compass. We are simply a lot of territory and people who have a tyrant and a despot in charge.
They don’t want or need us…
Ein fohes Neues jahr!
All Americans and English dont like the EU to have power, because Americans are JEALOUS that the EU will have more power than them, and beside the USA is already kaputt, China will overtake the USA soon.
So I dont care of whatever Americans want to say against the EU, its too much to have the Americans with their inexperienced view of the world and shallow visions (transforming the world into Coca-Cola and Hamburger society for their selfish benefits).
Europe is a 2000 years civilization with experience and deep philosophy, intead of obnoxious and arrogant Americans who thinks they need to control the world because they are on top of the capitalist ladder. The world cannot live without culture, because the Americans wants to “Hamburize” and “Coca-Colize” the world, destroying traditionnal culture just for capitalistic reasons. Europe has culture and history, America has simply none.
Death to Stupid Fat and Ugly Americans !
Long live Europe !
Long live Germany !
Long live France !