By Filipe Rufino - 23rd May 2007
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has said he will back plans for a ‘simplified’ EU treaty.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels with European commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso, the new French president vowed to work towards a treaty deal, leaving other controversial issues off the table until an agreement has been reached.
“We [have] lost too much time…the situation [with the EU treaty] must be unblocked”, he said.
Sarkozy added that “a simplified treaty is the only possible solution” allowing France to ratify via the parliament.
Barroso said he felt that “a consensus is being formed” around the idea of a simplified EU treaty as opposed to a fully-fledged EU constitution.
While appearing single minded on backing a simplified deal on the treaty, Sarkozy and Barroso look set to clash on other key issues such as WTO talks and Turkey’s EU membership.
“I do not think Turkey has a place in the EU,” said Sarkozy, to which Barroso replied “we [the commission] are for continuing negotiations with Turkey”.
On trade talks, Sarkozy warned that “globalisation can’t be a Trojan horse in Europe”, adding that France would only further open its markets if other players did so “at the same time and under the same conditions”.
Barroso disagreed, warning that a “fortress Europe would be bad for our economy and all of our peoples”.
The French president also warned that he would not put the much criticised Strasbourg European parliament seat on the table under any circumstances.
“Strasbourg is not negotiable”, he said, adding “Strasbourg is not a gift, it is in the treaty”, he said.
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