NEW LABOUR, NEW SELLOUT: What the Treaty of Nice means to you:

NEW LABOUR, NEW SELLOUT By politicians

NEWS SERVICE FOR THE NICE TREATY

Note: The EU Council of Ministers agreed a provisional Treaty at the IGC Summit in Nice between 7/10 December 2000. The Treaty is subject to ratification, so please check for updates.

We can advise the intent that some decision-making power is to be surrendered from national level to EU level, and that some of the proposals open up sinister possibilities given the EU's past ability to be creative in packaging measures (e.g. Working Time) in categories with no veto.

Our state-of-the-art Q + A sheet analyses very recent proposals and should be up-to-date on key issues; here is a round-up of the main links for proposals and analysis. (Adobe Acrobat needed to read some documents).

The 'Stop Press' site for the Nice European Council

http://europa.eu.int/comm/nice_council/index_en.htm

Provisional Treaty added 14.12.00. (SN 533/00). The write-ups ('Presidency conclusions') are lengthy, very glowing and need proper analysis

http://db.consilium.eu.int/cigdocs/EN/4810en.pdf

Summit proposals advanced at 7 December - CONFER 4810/00, 109 pages. Earlier IGC proposals and reviews are listed below for reference to illustrate EU and counter-thinking

Key - and quite representative - proposals as at 3 November 2000.

http://db.consilium.eu.int/cigdocs/EN/4790en.pdf

CONFER 4790/00 Progress report on the IGC on institutional reform. Used in our Q + A sheet, 19 Nov. (Minor revisions followed in CONFER 4795/00)

'EU Observer' website - in Denmark but in English language

http://www.euobserver.com

One of the most comprehensive - and critical - news services

European Commission:- current treaty clauses are in [brackets]

http://europa.eu.int/comm/igc2000/offdoc/index_en.htm

COM(2000) 434 final - Proposals for a basic Treaty, 12 July

COM(2000) 114 final - QMV in Single Market, tax and social security

DOC/00/27 - Proposals for a European Public Prosecutor and Corpus Juris (A.k.a. COM(2000) 608 final)

http://europa.eu.int/comm/igc2000/geninfo/index_en.htm

Contains a history of negotiations. Also papers advocating the loss of national veto (extension of majority voting)

CONFER 4770/00 50 areas for QMV

CONFER 4708/00 Contributions to pensions funding (2.5). EU job fund (2.1)

CONFER 4709/00 Admits most energy policies are already covered by Single Market/trade policy

CONFER 4707/00 QMV on taxation. Loopholes here!

CONFER 4764/00 A Statute for European Political Parties

CONFER 4776/00 Absence of border controls [67]

CONFER 4776/00 VAT. Tax extensions in the name of 'the environment'. 'Anti-fraud' measures [93]

CONFER 4776/00 Measures to improve transport safety [71] . Big Brother for motorists!

CONFER 4776/00 Freedom of movement for pensioners [42]

Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU:- agreed at Biarritz, 15 Oct 2000

http://db.consilium.eu.int/df/default.asp?lang=en

Text for declaration at Nice. NB: This is the EU's rights, including any those it may allocate or withdraw from you. Reviews below may be of slightly earlier though similar versions

http://www.eurocritic.demon.co.uk

Proposals reviewed by Daniel Hannan MEP.

http://www.independenceuk.org.uk/html/body_press_release_info_1.html

Proposals reviewed by UKIP.

http://www.cix.co.uk/~fedtrust/igc_thirdreport

Discussion held by the Federal Trust

European Parliament Proposals

http://www.europarl.eu.int/igc2000/en/default.htm

Nice Treaty and Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU Constitution?)

http://www.bullen.demon.co.uk/paris.htm

A worst case of 'more power to the EU' reviewed on Colin Bullen's website.

Christopher Booker – on Centre for Policy Studies website