By Sally McNamara
One could never accuse Javier Solana of lacking ambition. In typical Euro-arrogance, EU ‘Foreign Minister’ Solana has already assumed an Irish “Yes” vote to the Lisbon Treaty and predicted that EU diplomacy will eventually rise to such heights as to match the US and China (Note: several other countries have not yet signed the wretched Lisbon Treaty either, including Poland and the Czech Republic).
Last year, I questioned Mr. Solana about the Lisbon Treaty when he appeared on a panel in Washington alongside former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, UN official Kemal Dervis and President of The Brookings Institution, Strobe Talbott. He seemed genuinely perplexed that someone would rain on the parade of unfettered Euro-gushing that was enveloping the event. When I asked him about the EU’s utter disregard for public opinion opposing further European integration, he dismissed my factual question, saying: "I’m not going to be very long, because Strobe and Kemal have defended the case which to my mind doesn't need too much to be defended.”
EU Treaties have long been the juggernaut of further European integration. In foreign policy, the answer to every EU failure has unflinchingly been the accrual of more power through another centralizing treaty (it was in the midst of its early failures over Yugoslavia that the EU signed the Maastricht Treaty which established the Common Foreign and Security Policy). And the sum of its parts has been spectacularly unsuccessful. More often that not, the CFSP results in complete inaction while simultaneously seeking to prevent member states from taking more meaningful action in concert with other partners such as the U.S.
Solana is correct that the Lisbon Treaty is a game-changer for EU competency in foreign policy. The political and institutional pressure that already has David Miliband flip-flopping on-demand will become legal and procedural as well. For example, Open Europe identifies 12 areas of foreign policy, including the election of the EU foreign minister and proposals emanating from the foreign minister which will move from unanimity voting to qualified majority.
David Cameron has already demonstrated his willingness to bust open Brussels’ federalist cabal in establishing the new European Parliamentary Grouping. Pledging that he will reassert Britain’s sovereignty – completely and without distinction – over foreign, security and defense policy should be his next step.
