tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7620652438500849718.post4126504443113438315..comments2024-02-25T10:22:38.186+00:00Comments on The European Citizen: Referendum StrategiesEurocentrichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09439536905456080079noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7620652438500849718.post-33387666847788176072009-03-20T04:23:00.000+00:002009-03-20T04:23:00.000+00:00And the Czech government has postponed it yet agai...And the Czech government has postponed it yet again because of the US-Russia situation.<BR/><BR/>I understand that there is no need for the guarantees and that they have pretty much been decided on already, even if the wording itself has not been laid out. However, my point was on the political viability (for the pro-Lisbon side) of holding a second vote before getting the text of the guarantees, and I think that to do so would be a grave political error.<BR/><BR/>Legally, it doesn't make any difference, and all that's needed for the one guarantee that matters, on the Commission, is effectively a political agreement to vote for a certain agreement under the legal instrument already provided in the Treaty. Still, it would not be a good strategy to rush the vote. People will be hard to convince because of the "but we've already voted" factor, and something new must be produced, and politically, it needs to be as tangeable as possible.Eurocentrichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09439536905456080079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7620652438500849718.post-2762779630894393502009-03-20T03:46:00.000+00:002009-03-20T03:46:00.000+00:00The draft conclusions of the European Council cont...The draft conclusions of the European Council contain one sentence on the Irish prime minister informing the rest. Meagre, if nothing more is said, because if the Lisbon Treaty enters into force a number of practical questions need to be solved, which requires preparation of which we have seen nothing.<BR/><BR/>The membership of the Commission needs treaty level change if and when the Treaty of Lisbon enters into force. If it doesn't, then the European Council has to decide on how to reduce the Commission under the Treaty of Nice. <BR/><BR/>As far as I understand, the other assurances have all been politically agreed. How much preparatory work is needed to call them a declaration (or even one which would be turned into a protocol in a later accession treaty)? <BR/><BR/>I get the feeling that someone is playing for time. <BR/><BR/>The Czech Council Presidency may or may not be cooperating wonderfully, but it has kept postponing ratification at home with new excuses weekly.Ralf Grahn https://www.blogger.com/profile/02156293782163802007noreply@blogger.com