Friday, May 23, 2008

The March of the EUndead

If you thought the European Union treaty of unification was dead because the French and Dutch voted it down in 2005, guess again:

The German parliament's upper house approved the European Union's new treaty on Friday — the document's last legislative hurdle in the 27-nation bloc's most populous country.

The document, known as the Lisbon Treaty, easily won the necessary two-thirds majority in the upper house, which represents the country's 16 state governments. All but one state voted in favor, giving the treaty 65 out of a possible 69 votes. ...

The treaty would alter the EU's decision-making process, envisioning more decisions by majority vote rather than unanimous endorsement. It would also provide for an EU president and a more powerful senior foreign policy official to give the bloc a stronger voice in global affairs. ...

The new treaty must be ratified by all 27 EU members to take effect. Only one country, Ireland, is holding a referendum, set for June 12.


I believe I've been clear on my opinion of the EU as a political entity.

Will Ireland, that country on the edge of the continent, be able to save the Europeans from their own rulers?