-Caveat Lector-
The Guardian (London) Saturday June 16, 2001
Ian Black and Michael White in Gothenburg
EU leaders fear wrath of the people
Europe's leaders were last night forced to consider slowing down their
"great debate" about the future of the continent in the face of growing
evidence of "a widespread sense of disconnection" between the EU and its
citizens.
As hundreds of anti globalisation rioters offered tangible proof of
alienation in violent clashes on the streets of Gothenburg, the 15 heads
of government attending the Swedish summit were warned that ordinary
people remain frustrated by their remoteness and lack of democratic
accountability.
Anarchist riots forced them to cancel a planned dinner at a restaurant in
the city centre and stay instead in the heavily guarded conference centre.
Britain's low election turnout has deeply unsettled ministers. But the
catalyst for yesterday's agonising was an unusually outspoken public
intervention by Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister.
Mr Ahern told colleagues that Ireland's shock rejection of the Nice
treaty, which paves the way for EU expansion up to 27 members, underlined
a "widespread sense of disconnection" between the union and its people.
"There is frustration at what is seen as an absence of clarity, openness
and responsiveness in how the union goes about his business," he added.
"There is a real and urgent need to focus on how we make the union more
meaningful to our citizens and on how its democratic accountability can be
strengthened."
The Irish No is unlikely to kill the treaty or prevent enlargement of the
EU to the south and east by 2004. Mr Ahern will seek a Yes vote in another
referendum, but not until next year.
But anxiety with the 54% to 46% voter rejection of Nice in Ireland was
barely concealed by some summiteers.
And it prompted Tony Blair and fellow leaders to admit to second thoughts
as to whether the time is right to launch a potentially divisive debate
about the future constitutional direction of Europe.
Outside the summit venue hundreds of anti-capitalist activists clashed
with police, throwing sticks and cobble stones and erecting burning
barricades. Protesters, many wearing black hoods, smashed several shop
front windows, including two McDonald's hamburger restaurants.
Mr Blair denounced the violence in which up to 37 people, including 10
police officers, were injured. "The protests are a complete outrage. To
result in this violence is not just entirely wrong, but also completely
misguided."
The Belgians, who take over the EU presidency from Sweden next month, are
due to launch the debate over the future shape of Europe.
"The EU should not proceed too fast," said the Austrian chancellor,
Wolfgang Schussel, who has experienced voter alienation in the shape of
Joerg Heider's far-right Freedom party. "Nice has not yet been ratified
and we are already talking about new goals."
But the gloom looked set to kill off Swedish hopes of speeding up the
process.
Goran Persson, the Swedish prime minister and summit host, had hoped to
issue a more precise target date for the entry of countries such as Poland
and Hungary, which lead the 12 applicants queueing up to join the club.
EU leaders repeated that the bitterly contested Nice treaty, which
includes a long-overdue overhaul of creaking institutional machinery,
cannot be renegotiated and that enlargement - the biggest ever undertaken
- must go ahead.
The first newcomers are expected in 2004. Ireland is the only EU state
which requires a popular vote, but all 15 members have to ratify it for it
to become law.
Spain's conservative prime minister, Jose-Maria Aznar, made the same
argument in favour of a new slowly-slowly approach.
Mr Blair is also likely to welcome this since he fears the divisive
abstractions of constitutional debate as he contemplates Britain's crucial
decision on a euro referendum.
Gerhard Schroder, the German chancellor and his foreign minister, Joschka
Fischer, last year sparked a wide debate about the future of Europe as it
enlarges in advance of new treaty talks in 2004.
But Mr Schroder appeared to be backing down in the aftermath of the Irish
vote, which some now fear could come to prove as difficult as the Danish
rejection of the Maastricht treaty in 1992.
"The debate about the final shape of Europe must not be conducted under
time pressure," he said, acknowledging Dublin's point that was important
to involve the wider public in planning the EU's future.
"Its an extremely important debate," Mr Persson said. "We have to move
closer to our electorates."
Mr Ahern is likely to negotiate an opt-out on parts of the treaty that
Irish voters dislike - notably provisions for setting up an EU rapid
reaction force which opponents of Nice claimed would breach Ireland's
treasured neutrality.
Ireland's rejection of the treaty came just as negotiations with the
candidate countries - Estonia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland,
Slovenia, Cypru
