Now - after a break which was used for "deliberation", "listening" and "thinking"- our wise leaders have found a solution. It is called "Reform Treaty". It should be approved quickly and - off course - without referendums.

"The constitutional project, as the document states, was abandoned." said Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of the UK. In 2004 his predecessor, Tony Blair, had promised to hold a referendum about the EU Constitution. Mr. Brown no longer sees the necessity to give the British people a say on European affairs.

Fine. No constitutional project, no referendum. One might follow this logic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel doesn’t: "The substance of the Constitution is preserved. That is a fact."

"The same or not the same, that is the question…" And there is an answer to it. A considerable simple answer: compare both texts. It implies the comparison of 126.000 words. Hm, I said the answer is simple. The comparison is not. But we are lucky, Open Europe, an independent think tank based in London, has already done this.

The result is shocking. The text of the new "reform treaty" is basically the same text as the rejected constitution.

In this case, the need for the referendum is also the same. Democracy International will take up the fight for fair referendums once again - like between 2002 to 2004. We will relaunch the European Referendum Campaign soon. Stay tuned for news…

Text by Ronald Pabst

Quotes:

Gordon Brown - Press Conference, 9 July 2007

Angela Merkel - Telegraph, 29 June 2007

Downloads:

Open Europe: Comparison

The literally comparison between the current "EU Reform Treaty" and the former "EU Constitution" (pdf - 2,48 MB)

Open Europe: Guide

Guide to the meaning of the EU Reform Treaty (pdf - 1,00 MB)

Open Europe: Rhetoric and Reality (pdf - 36 kB)

A listing of quotes from leading European politicians on the EU Reform Treaty.

Open Europe: Homepage