Annual General Meeting 23 April 2005
Main Political Resolution
In May 2004
the European Community expanded from 15 to 25 Member States. The ten new
members had imposed upon them 100,000 pages of EU laws which entailed them in
huge costs and considerable loss of sovereignty and democracy.
The signing
ceremony of the European Constitution by 25 Member States took place on
29 October 2004. It was no
coincidence that this took place in Rome at the site of the centre of the old Roman Empire. It
marks a symbolic change of the EU from the Treaty of Rome, signed in 1957, to
the Constitution of Rome, signed almost half a century later. This is the
symbol of a new EU State in the making.
If ratified this latest Treaty would fundamentally change the European Community into a
Euro-federalist Union with a highly centralised government. The current intergovernmental arrangements where some independence
exists would be dispensed with. This would be replaced by an EU super-state
structure with its own legal personality and all key powers concentrated in EU
institutions without any accountability.
Despite
assurances and declarations that the EU Constitution would hand back powers to
national governments, the reverse has taken place with 70 further areas being
taken over by the EU. The millions of people in 25 Member States have been
distanced still further from those who hold the power over all key aspects of
their lives and further diminishes national democracy.
The written or unwritten constitution of a nation state acts as a framework within which
elected governments with diverse political standpoints can legislate for
different policies. The EU state Constitution rigidly rules out any opportunity
for diversity and instead specifically locks in an economic system and policies
favourable to big capital, transnational corporations
and banks.
The thrust of
the EU state constitution would be to turn the EU into a superpower with common
laws, taxation, judicial system, foreign policy and military aspirations.
Supplied by an expanding and expensive EU-military-industrial-complex, a 60,000
strong European Army with rapid reaction forces and battle groups would be able
to act anywhere in the world on behalf of the temporary collective of old
imperial powers.
Ratification
of the EU state Constitution must be opposed by all interested in defending,
preserving and advancing democracy of all forms and protecting the peace.
Opposition to
passing powers and policies to the EU is clearly shown by the indefinite shelving
of a referendum on the single currency – the euro. The strength of this
opposition is confirmed by arrangements to put Britain as one of the last Member States to hold a referendum on the EU Constitution.
Opposition to the Directive on Services, including the European TUC, the government and trade unions in France,and UNISON in Britain has caused the Commission to temporarily postpone imposition of Directive on Member States. The Prime Minister of
Britain has stated he is in favour of the Directive to take advantage of low
wages and poor conditions in Eastern Europe. He has also declared there is no such thing as the Social Model. These factors are the basis of wider unity and opposition to both the Directive and the EU Constitution.
In Britain it is recognised that the labour and trade union movement is the key to winning
a No! vote in a referendum on ratification of the EU
Constitution.
The Campaign
against Euro-federalism welcomes the formation of Trade Unionists against the
EU Constitution.
CAEF will work in the Alliance against the European Constitution and general broad campaign to win a massive No!