The debate surrounding the Lisbon Treaty is coming to an end. There is little concern within the EU about Slovakia’s request for land assurances and the resistance from the President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, is dying down.
However, one can still hear the heavy breathing of Conservatives who are still unsure of what they want from Europe. For all their previous Euro-scepticism, as part of the largest party in the European Parliament – the European People’s Party – the Tories were at least formerly able to play a role in the legislative and policy agenda of the EU. But in joining the newly created European Conservatives and Reformists group (ECR), Cameron has dealt his own party a serious blow. The Conservatives have lost the power they held and are now part of a small group which lacks not only influence, but – significantly – credibility.
First, the leader of their new group, Michael Kaminski, supports the Lisbon Treaty – running against the grain of all that the ECR was set out to represent and achieve. Second, the revelations of a supposed cover-up of the changing of Kaminski’s page on Wikipedia – made from a House of Commons computer just after the creation of the new group – is both damaging and extremely dodgy.
But more than that, having appeased the right-wing Euro-sceptics in his party, Cameron has re-opened a battle he and the Conservatives cannot win. The future of our increasingly globalised world, with all its successes and failures, lies in greater international cooperation – whether on economic, environmental or security issues; the smart power of the EU (access to its market, trade agreements, and the aid it offers), will make the Europe more and more important to the global economy.
If the UK wishes to play a leading role in those new world affairs – in which economic and political influence are increasingly centred on the EU – in order to influence the policy agenda that will affect our future success, then co-operation – and not just traditional state sovereignty – must be the way forward. Unlike the Tories, the Labour party recognises this and understands the important role the EU plays within the international community not only through its massive economic clout, but through its increasing political influence.
Progress in politics, and ultimately in the way we decide to lead our lives, depends on our ability to adapt and change. There are undoubtedly mechanisms in the EU which could work better. But by creating a small group which lacks any influence in the European Parliament, the Tories have weakened their position considerably, both at home and in terms of our international standing. President Obama, for instance, will find it very difficult to work with a Conservative Britain with such little influence in Europe.
Lisbon is the minimum that needs to be achieved if the EU is to modernise and develop further as an organic regional club. If Cameron does not face up to the realities of the modern world and its inter-dependency, he will find that the UK will no longer be at the EU table debating and influencing the key issues that concern our country.
Max Deckers Dowber is Associate Professor at the American Institute for Foreign Studies on Business & Politics in the European Union.
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