Sarkozy warns David Cameron on stance over Europe and Lisbon treaty

David Cameron received further warnings over his stance on Europe as President Sarkozy signaled that the Tory leader would be unable to recalibrate his relationship with the EU.

The French leader congratulated the Conservative Party for abandoning its promise of a referendum on the Lisbon treaty, adding that Britain had already won opt-outs in a hint that no new ones could be expected.

“The treaty will allow Europe to turn the page on years of institutional debate that alienated us from the European people, wasted a lot of time and caused misunderstandings,” Sarkozy said.

Poland’s Europe Minister also told Cameron that the Tories should not return to the days of anti-EU sentiment. “I cannot imagine a situation where Britain would try to marginalize itself,” Mikolaj Dowgielewicz told The Times. “Poland does not want a Conservative government to quit Europe.

“It is a different world now — we are not in the beginning of the 1990s, you have a huge global dimension which is completely impossible for you to do on your own.”

Dowgielewicz represents the mainstream center-right government, rather than the right-wing Law and Justice Party, which is an ally of Cameron’s in the European Parliament. “Nobody wants to grab any more powers from London or Warsaw to Brussels. Those days are over,” he added. “There will be no new treaty for a number of years, so we need to focus on delivery.”

Pierre Lellouche, France’s Europe Minister, who came in for heavy criticism for calling the Conservatives “autistic”, renewed the offensive. “It is out of the question to reopen negotiations on the treaty,” he said, standing next to Sarkozy at a press conference in the Elysee Palace.

“That would require agreement from the 26 other EU members and I do not think for a single minute that will be possible.”

He added: “My message is simply to say, ‘Please, have mercy, spare us further institutional debates’. And I say it with great friendship towards Britain, which we Europeans need.”

William Hague, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said that the Conservatives were determined to stick to their policy of seeking to repatriate powers from Brussels. “Will we get back a bit of abuse for it? Yes, but that won’t make a difference,” he said.

Lellouche said that the Tories’ departure from their alliance with Sarkozy’s UMP party and other center-right groups in the European Parliament had already weakened them. “The isolation of their group means that their influence is infinitely less today than it was in the past.”

His strong language embarrassed French diplomats and presidential advisers, but they acknowledged that his remarks reflected thinking in the Sarkozy camp.

Herve Mariton, a senior MP and member of the Parliament’s Franco-British Friendship group, said that Lellouche was speaking for all of them. “We should not ignore these difficulties and we should say things frankly,” he said.

Two MEPs from the Conservative front bench in the European Parliament have resigned. Roger Helmer followed Dan Hannan in quitting as a party spokesman.

(Source: Times Online)

   Print Version     |        Back    |     Send To Friend