Further Strengthening the Agenda of the EU Monopolies

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Thessaloniki EU Summit:
Further Strengthening the Agenda of the EU Monopolies

Opposition to EU Summit and its Agenda

For Your Information:
Ten point summary of European draft Constitutional Treaty

Tomorrow, Thursday June 19, leaders of the 15 EU member states and 10 candidate member states began arriving in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the last EU summit before enlargement into southern and eastern Europe takes the EU's membership to 25. Topping the agenda for this summit will be the draft EU constitution and the issue of the EU policy towards asylum seekers and refugees.

The draft EU constitution which was produced after 15 months of discussion in the Convention for the Future of Europe chaired by the former French president Valery Giscard D'Estaing, represents a further step to consolidate the agenda of the EU monopolies and impose the dictate of the most powerful states, as well as attempt to mediate the contradictions between them as they try and assert their global economic and political interests as against the US strategy for its hegemonic role in the world. The draft therefore proposes a number of reforms including giving the EU the status of a single legal entity, the establishment of an EU president and foreign minister, the extension of qualified majority voting into 50 areas including judicial and economic policies where national vetoes presently exist, the establishment of a 15 member commission to represent all 25 members and the incorporation of the European Human Rights Charter into the constitution.

These reforms, therefore, are as a whole designed to strengthen the hold of the big powers over the direction of the EU, to limit the influence of the new member states and to push the EU further down the road towards being a superpower in its own right, challenging the US conception of a unipolar world.

The statement from the EU commission on the draft constitution declares that "conferring a single legal status on the Union will enable it to take on a higher profile internationally", "the new provisions on the common foreign and security policy, together with the creation of an EU Foreign Affairs Minister, will help to enhance the Union's role on the international stage" and "the provisions on defence will make it possible to improve military capabilities and will enable Member States which are willing and able to do so to engage in structured cooperation that will strengthen the credibility of the EU's foreign policy". In this way the architects of EU enlargement have clearly set out their goal of "raising the profile of the EU internationally" and of "strengthening the credibility of its foreign policy with military might". In other words, they are seeking to fight for the interests of European finance capital in the international arena. This orientation will inevitably bring the EU into conflict with the US, which is demanding a unipolar world under its domination.

Signalling the urgency with which the architects of the imperial EU are advancing, the Commission statement further declares "the Commission regards it as essential that the unanimity requirement be lifted at once in other areas too" and "the Member States sharing the same currency must be allowed to take decisions together by the Community method". Therefore the EU must not be slowed down in its present drive by the veto in the hands of all 25 Member States after enlargement, nor should those countries which belong to the slow track be allowed to slow down those which belong to the fast track

The British government has labelled this a blueprint for a "new Europe". This is only new in the sense that New Labour was "new", that is, it seeks to strengthen reaction but under the cover of high-sounding phrases. But, as Jack Straw put it in a speech prior to the summit, "Enlargement means more markets for British business". And also, "Europe’s voice in the world is too faint." However, the British government’s strategy for Europe is also shaped by the factors of its plan to put "Britain at the heart of Europe", that is it sees Europe in the overall context of the reactionary programme to "Make Britain Great Again", as well as to ensure that a strong Europe is created for the benefit of the US global strategy.

As the EU strengthens and consolidates itself under the domination of the big powers, it stands increasingly against the sovereignty of nations and peoples. The working class must raise its own demands for the dismantling of the imperialist blocs and for the establishment of a democratic world order in which the independence of countries and peoples is fully respected.

With the EU summit in the Porto Carras resort on the Halkidiki peninsula, Greece, due to begin on Thursday, protesters representing dozens of groups and organisations around the world began gathering in the nearby port city of Thessaloniki to participate in the series of demonstrations, as well as a Counter-Summit.

The Counter-Summit will begin on Thursday afternoon with the first demonstration organised by the trade union organisation PAME at 16:30, followed by a rally against racism organised by the Greek Social Forum and other movements at the ancient agora at 19:00.

The events are organised by the organisations "Action: Thessaloniki 2003", the Greek Social Forum, "Resistance: Thessaloniki 2003" and "Anti-authoritarian Movement - Salonika 2003".

Hundreds of trade unionists, activists and members of political parties and movements from all corners of the globe were pouring into the city, with more expected later in the day.

About 500 protestors representing anti-capitalist, social and trade union organisations are staying at the camping site in Epanomi to take part in events organised by "Resistance-Thessaloniki 2003".

While Macedonia Thrace Minister George Paschalides appealed to protesters to show a responsible attitude and respect the city, noting that the Macedonia-Thrace ministry had supported the demonstrations and Counter Summit events through a programme called "Hospitality and Respect", the Greek government was preparing draconian measures against them.

It has launched an unprecedented security operation. On Tuesday, the government started deploying thousands of police and army troops as well as surface-to-air missiles and naval ships in the vicinity of the event. "This is the biggest security operation that has ever been designed with the participation of all of the country's armed forces," Reuters quoted Greek police spokesman Lefteris Economou as saying. "We must ensure that the location of the summit is completely safe for the participants."

Greece has mobilised around 16,000 police and armed forces for the massive security operation, including 4,000 army, navy and air force staff. Dozens of navy frigates, coast guard speedboats and frogmen began sealing off the area of the three hotels in the Porto Carras Hotels Complex on Tuesday. A barbed wire fence, topped with infrared cameras and stretching more than 11 km, will cut off the access to the Halkidiki peninsula from land.

Snipers with night vision equipment are already on guard in the vineyards and woods surrounding the main hotel, and Patriot, Stinger and Crotale surface-to-air missiles have also been brought to the site. Riot police have been deployed to ensure that expected street protests do not sour the event, while about 2,000 police are to be positioned along the road leading from Thessaloniki's Macedonia airport to the seaside hotel. To make sure it is prepared for the worst, Greece is keeping 33 public prosecutors on stand-by, should the need arise to process arrests.

Authorities say at least 60,000 demonstrators are likely to arrive in Thessaloniki, and are expected to stage protests during the summit.

• Britain and the other member states agree to establish a European Union so that they can work together where they need to.  The Union has a Constitution setting out what is done at the European level.  It can be changed if everyone agrees.  Any European State can join or leave.  (Articles 1, 6, 57, 59, Part IV)

• The Union is based on certain principles: human dignity, liberty, democracy, the rule of law, and respect for human rights.  It aims at promoting peace, its values, and its peoples' well-being.  It treats all equally.  Its citizens' rights are set down in a Charter. (Articles 2-3, 44-46, 50-51, 58, Part II).

• It is a Union of the citizens and States of Europe. Its decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizens. It respects its Member States' national identities, and the Member States must help each other fulfil the Union's objectives.  It works openly.  (Articles 1,5, 7-8, 42, 49, Subsidiarity and National Parliaments Protocols)

• The Union has only the powers the Member States give it.  It acts at EU level only when it needs to. When it does act, its laws prevail over Member States' laws.  (Article 9-11)

• The main bodies of the Union are: a Council with Ministers from each member state; a European Parliament with MEPs from each member state; an independent Commission; and a Court with Judges from each member state. There are other bodies.  The Council and Commission have Presidents.  The union has a Budget, which must balance.  (Articles 18-31, 52-55)

• The leaders of the Member States, meeting in the European Council and acting unanimously, are in charge of the Union's political direction. Acting within their guidance, the Commission will propose EU laws, and the Council will decide on them, often by majority vote and jointly with the European Parliament. (Articles 18-26, 32-38)

• There will be a single market, with free movement of goods, peoples, services, and capital across the Union. (Articles 3-4).

• Member States co-ordinate their economic policies.  There will be a single currency, the Euro, for member states that wish to participate and meet the conditions. (Article 14)

• There will be common action, more in some areas than others, where it makes sense to work together: agriculture, fisheries, transport, environment, illegal immigration, asylum, fighting crime, and so on. In some areas, smaller groups of Member States can act together.  (Articles 12-13, 16-17, 41,43)

• Member states will seek to act together in foreign and defence policy, but both remain intergovernmental and subject to unanimity. Common action will be co-ordinated through a European foreign affairs representative. (Articles 15, 27, 39-40, 56).