Pöttering: Lisbon unlikely to be ratified by June EU elections

European parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering has said that the Lisbon Treaty is unlikely to enter into force before the June EU elections.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels after meeting with EU leaders, Pöttering said, “We hope a solution will be found by the end of next year. That would be a good development but we would prefer it if it entered into force before the European elections. But from a realistic viewpoint, we have to assume that won’t be the case.”

Heads of state and government are meeting for their last summit under the French presidency, to reach agreement on the climate-energy package, the commission’s €200bn economic recovery plan, and a way forward until the Lisbon treaty can be ratified.

Under draft council conclusions on the Lisbon treaty circulated on Wednesday night, all member states will be allowed to retain a commissioner, and Ireland is to get “necessary legal guarantees” on “taxation, social, family and ethical issues and Common Security and Defence Policy” – concessions to appease Irish fears on abortion and neutrality, as well as maintaining its 12.5 per cent corporate tax rate.

Member states are expected to sign up to the document late tonight.

On climate change, Pöttering insisted that any decision made my member states on Friday must be cleared by parliament when it meets in plenary next week. “The European parliament is a main player with the council, so the last word hasn’t yet been spoken. Council needs to be flexible.”

On fears that EU leaders will water down the climate package to assuage coal-dependent countries like Poland and other eastern European member states, he said that it was “a bit of give and take”.

“On the one hand, we have the need to protect against climate change, and on the other, we have the needs of industry and economy.

“It wouldn’t do anyone any good to see the transfer of industry out of Europe and relocate to China, for example, because they can’t meet our environmental standards.”

Council and parliament have reached informal agreement on three of the directives in the climate-energy package so far – on CO2 emissions from cars, renewable energies and the fuel quality directive. But the emissions trading scheme, effort sharing between member states to reduce emissions and carbon capture and storage technology are still contentious issues.

Whatever is decided in council this week must then be approved on first reading in parliament’s plenary next week if the EU is to achieve its goal of having the package agreed before the end of the year.

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