Santa Klaus VS Václav Klaus

Now Is the Time for More EU!

By Thorsten Benner and Stephan Mergenthaler

With the Lisbon Treaty approaching the final hurdles before it is adopted, it is time for the European Union to take a bold step forward. It is up to Germany's new government to lead the EU out of a decade of doldrums. A European army would be a good place to start.

By voting to accept the Lisbon Treaty last week, the Irish breathed new life into the European Union. Now, the next few months will determine whether Europe will take advantage of this golden opportunity -- or pass it up entirely.
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--> There are a number of questions currently facing the EU. The Lisbon agreement, designed to make decision making in the 27-member club more efficient, calls for the establishment of an EU president. It is vital that this position is filled by someone who can command respect on the international stage. But will the EU be able to agree on who that someone should be? Furthermore, with the Lisbon Treaty now likely to go through -- Poland and the Czech Republic represent the last remaining hurdles -- will the EU be able to agree on an ambitious and inspiring agenda for the coming years? Or will it fall back on the parochialism that has characterized EU politics so far this decade?
The answers to these questions depend largely on the new government Chancellor Angela Merkel is currently cobbling together in Berlin.

Only Germany Can Lead
Germany at the moment is the only remaining motor of Europe. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has fallen too deeply in love with French grandeur to be a credible leader for Europe. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is politically crippled and his potential successor, David Cameron, is a vehement Euro-skeptic. Of the big three, only Germany can lead the EU into the future.
But it is far from certain whether the new government will take up that mantle. The temptation is great to continue the populist tones and general lack of interest which characterized the Europe policies of Merkel's last government. Merkel's campaign platform emphasized the "Christian roots" of the EU and it would not be difficult to imagine her government focusing its Europe policy on keeping Turkey out of the club -- a position which would certainly find agreement in the Sarkozy government.
Dangers for Europe can be found in the Christian Social Union -- the CDU's Bavarian sister party -- as well. Party head Horst Seehofer famously said that "for me, the term populist is not an insult" -- and party General Secretary Alexander Dobrindt has taken that message to heart with his recent robust tirades against the EU. Indeed, the Free Democrats (FDP), Merkel's new coalition partners, are comparatively Europe-friendly. But danger lurks even here: the party's campaign platform expresses vehement opposition to any increase in the EU budget.

Ambitious European Program
Were the new government to shirk its European responsibilities, it would be a betrayal of the legacy established in the years from 1949 to 2002, during which the German government pushed hard for an ever-deeper European unity -- often in the face of initial skepticism from German voters. A unified market and a common currency would have been unthinkable without German leadership. Indeed, it was CDU-FDP coalitions, led by Chancellor Helmut Kohl and his Foreign Minister Hans Dietrich Genscher, which showed courage and far-sightedness. For Angela Merkel and current FDP head Guido Westerwelle, the approaching 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9 presents an ideal chance to further their legacy. The two want to present a coalition agreement before the big day -- that agreement should include an ambitious European program.
After almost a decade of tortured debates about institutions, influence and responsibilities within the EU -- discussions which Europeans met with deafening indifference -- the EU needs another grand project to generate enthusiasm and confidence for the future of the European Union.
The most obvious choice would be a deepening of Europe's collective foreign and security policy. Despite large support from EU citizens, European governments have thus far not made nearly as much progress as they have promised.

Merge Armed Forces
A clear commitment to a European army and a European civil reconstruction corps would not just reinvigorate EU integration, but it would also make the bloc a much bigger player on the international stage. The FDP has committed itself to the creation of a European army. Merkel's new government could prove its commitment to Europe by taking the first step and offering to merge its armed forces with those of France.
Naïve and illusory? That is how Kohl's first steps toward a common European currency were described. Not compatible with NATO and US interests? The US, overstretched as it currently is, would welcome any attempt to increase Europe's military capacity.
At the same time, however, Europe's new institutions, created by the Lisbon Treaty, must be brought to life. The first European Union president, who will be named soon, will point the way to the future. Germany needs to begin building a broad coalition to install a candidate who will be able to wield power beyond Europe's borders. A small-minded evisceration of this office would have catastrophic consequences -- as can be seen by the fate of the luckless European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, a candidate chosen by virtue of being the lowest common denominator.

EU Seat in the G-20
The Lisbon Treaty also calls for a unified foreign policy, and this too must be transformed into a powerful instrument of European influence. EU diplomacy must find new ways to work efficiently with its strategic partners. In the case of Russia, that means that the long delayed détente between Russia and Central and Eastern Europe must be carried forward. In the case of China and India, already-established cooperation agreements must be filled with life. Instead of lobbying for a permanent German seat on the United Nations Security Council, the new German government should seek a European Union seat in the G-20.
Leadership involves risk taking, and it means avoiding selling cheap solutions to the voters. In May, Guido Westerwelle -- head of the FDP and likely to become Germany's next foreign minister -- wrote "it has become all too common to blame Brussels when unpopular decisions must be made, even when the responsibility for these decision lie with us.... We want a European Union that plays an active role in the world and lives up to its responsibility in addressing questions related to the future." One can only hope that Westerwelle will remember these words and that the new government takes appropriate action.
Thorsten Benner and Stephan Mergenthaler are from the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin and are experts on the EU's role in the world.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,653723,00.html

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Defenestration of Prague, Number Four

2009/10/14

PRAGUE/BERLIN(Own report) - A German EU parliamentarian is calling for impeachment proceedings against the President of the Czech Republic. Should President Václav Klaus not immediately ratify the "Lisbon Treaty" as soon as the Czech Constitutional Court hands down a positive decision, he must be forcibly removed from the country's highest constitutional body, insists the social democrat, Jo Leinen. According to reports, German diplomats have already been taking steps in Prague to find out if this is possible. Also being discussed is the disempowerment of the president through a change in the country's constitution. These interventions are directed against one of Germany's neighbors, whose constitutional bodies have on various occasions been the object of Berlin's foreign policy. The reason for Prague's skepticism toward the "Lisbon Treaty" is that it cannot forget the German expansionism that led to a world war 70 years ago. Even without consideration of the historical contexts, German policy is tearing down democratic minimum standards, which, already at various stages of the ratification process of the so-called Lisbon Treaty, have been ridiculed. The draft treaty favors the transformation of the EU into a globally operating military power and reinforces German hegemony. The massive interference attempts are being accompanied by a nationalist anti-Czech media campaign.

The Czech Republic should launch impeachment proceedings against its President Václav Klaus, if he refuses to sign the "Lisbon Treaty," after a positive Czech Constitutional Court decision, demands the German EU parliamentarian, Jo Leinen (SPD).[1] The court is currently considering a suit brought by several Czech parliamentarians, who see the treaty as being in violation of their country's constitution. Berlin, on the other hand, is applying pressure for a speedy ratification. As the British press reports, German and French diplomats, are in talks with their Czech counterparts, seeking "ways of removing the Klaus obstacle". Besides his impeachment, they are also considering changing the Czech constitution to take away his right of veto.[2] If Klaus refuses to sign the treaty, "he will need to face the consequences," threatened a German diplomat.[3]

Dictate

With the current activities against Prague, Berlin is taking, for the first time, direct measures to depose or disempower a head of an EU member state, who has not accommodated German plans. The measures, which are a mockery to Czech national sovereignty, are once again lowering EU democratic minimum standards. Already with previous steps to impose the draft treaty, the German government had renamed the document that had been rejected in popular referendums (in France and the Netherlands) and, with the same content, resubmitted it for a new decision. In addition Berlin made it clear that should a referendum be unavoidable - as was the case in Ireland - the voting can be repeated until the PR offensive achieves the desired results.[4] With the most recent interventions in Prague, even EU member nations' constitutional laws are no longer off-limits. Even before the draft treaty takes effect, an often expressed criticism of the document proves to be right: Through the so-called European integration, the sovereignty of the member nations will be subverted and they will be exposed to the dictate of the West European hegemonic powers.

Haste

Even the haste, with which Berlin wants to see the draft treaty ratified, is aimed at avoiding democratic processes. The overwhelming majority of the people of Great Britain reject this treaty, which is why the current labor government ratified the treaty without submitting it to a referendum. Now the head of the Conservative Party has announced his intentions to rescind the ratification and hold a referendum, should his party win the next parliamentary elections, if the treaty has not taken effect by that time. A conservative majority is considered assured in the elections scheduled for next spring. If Berlin wants to keep the British population from rejecting the draft treaty in this referendum, the document must - at all costs - finish the ratification process before the British elections. The German government doesn't have much time.

Property Claims
But Berlin has the power to invalidate the Czech president's objections. Václav Klaus is seeking guarantees that the EU Human Rights Charter, which is tied in with the "Lisbon Treaty," not be misused to reinforce property claims raised by the resettled Germans on the Czech Republic. These claims have always been raised by the Sudeten Germans. For example, in 2008, on the occasion of "Human Rights Day", the Chairman of the "Sudeten German Homeland Association," the European parliamentarian, Bernd Posselt (CSU) reiterated that "the collective expulsion and disfranchisement of entire ethnic groups" as well as the "attempt to destroy or permanently uproot them through the liquidation of their means of existence" as a "genocide, and therefore beyond the statute of limitations."[5] To support the revisionist demands of the "Sudeten Germans," Posselt regularly makes reference to the EU's Human Rights Charter's interpretation of human rights. Germany has been systematically keeping all property claims of the resettled Germans open (german-foreign-policy.com reported [6]) regardless of difficulties that could result, not only for the president of the Czech Republic.

Almost Unaltered

The recent measures taken against the Czech President are being accompanied by scathing criticism of the Czech Republic's political elite. In the German media, for example, Klaus is described alternatively as "stubbornly" insisting on his point of view or as "erratically" changing his standpoint. The German ARD radio studio in Prague propagates that Klaus is a "populist and nationalist," a "president going through his defiant phase," who has "obstinately" maintained "his broad-brush view of the world." This president "acting out of conviction" and an "Egomaniac," is the reason why Czechia is seen "as the madhouse of Europe," claims the correspondent of the German state owned radio station about her host country and its head of state. But above all, his "the Germans" fit "his concept of the enemy."[7] In a state-run German radio station, this exceptionally evil representation is only possible, if it has been sanctioned by the political instances. Insults and derisive attacks, such as these, have accompanied Berlin's offensives against the Czech and Czechoslovak presidents, who have sought to fend off German encroachments - almost unaltered - since the days of Edward Beneš.

[1] MEPs call for Klaus's impeachment; Prague Daily Monitor 13.10.2009
[2], [3] Germans seek to oust Czech president Vaclav Klaus over EU treaty; The Sunday Times 11.10.2009
[4] see also Ireland is Everywhere and No means Yes
[5] Bernd Posselt, MdEP zum 10. Dezember; Pressemeldung der Union der Vertriebenen 08.12.2008
[6] see also Tschechische Republik: "Rückerstattungs- und Vermögensfragen nicht geklärt", Moral Basis, An Educational Venue and Days of Aggression
[7] Christina Janssen: Ein Präsident in der Trotzphase; www.tagesschau.de 10.10.2009

http://www.german-foreign-policy.com/en/fulltext/56288

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theTRUMPET.com

Czech Republic: Last EU Nation Standing

October 16, 2009 | From theTrumpet.com

The Czech president, who refuses to ratify the Lisbon Treaty, will not be able to stop the EU machine from rolling forward. By David Vejil

Czech President Vaclav Klaus is the only EU national leader who has not yet signed the Lisbon Treaty. Polish President Lech Kaczynski signed the European Union’s Lisbon Treaty on October 10, making Poland the 26th EU nation to have ratified the treaty. With the Irish “yes” vote on the second referendum, this leaves the tiny Czech Republic as the last man standing in the inevitable surge toward greater EU federalism.

President Klaus is blocking Lisbon’s ratification even after both houses of the Czech parliament endorsed the treaty back in May. He already has fought and lost two cases in the Czech constitutional court against the Lisbon Treaty as well.

The Lisbon Treaty is the renamed EU constitution that will give the European Union its own president and foreign minister and therefore its own foreign policy. The treaty will remake the EU into a stronger, more centralized federal power, streamline the decision-making processes and remove more of the power of individual member nations. 

For the treaty to officially come into effect, all 27 member nations must ratify it. 

The Trumpet has predicted for decades that the EU will become a greater federal power—and the Czech president will prove unable to stop that trend. 

European member of parliament and president of the Union of European Federalists Andrew Duff wrote in the Financial Times, “There will, in any case, be no renegotiation of the treaty.” He added that President Klaus “cannot be allowed to sink the Lisbon Treaty.” 

EU bureaucrats will ensure that. There is already talk of adding extra “legal guarantees” along the lines of those the Irish, Polish and British received. The Irish, for example, received a guarantee that they will always hold a seat on the European Commission, and Poland and the UK received an “opt-out” from the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Klaus seeks this same opt-out for the Czech Republic. 

These legal exemptions do not amount to much though. As Duff wrote, it “does not allow Poland and the UK to evade their legal duty to treat the charter as binding. Nor does it prevent the European Court of Justice, wielding the charter, from reaching judgments that affect directly the British or Polish state or citizen” (ibid.). 

These kinds of guarantees will sweeten the deal for President Klaus if they are extended to him, but the treaty, no matter how it is passed, will be binding, and member nations will not be able to escape it in the courts.

That is, except for one nation—the true power in Europe, Germany. It essentially saved its national sovereignty due to a legal ruling in its constitutional court. 

This kind of power grab by Germany is precisely why President Klaus is putting up so much opposition to the treaty. The Czech Sudetenland territory was one of the first seized by Germany prior to World War ii. Hitler claimed he was protecting the Sudeten Germans when he invaded in 1938. Even now there is still a conflict over German property rights in that area. 

That is why President Klaus also wants an opt-out from the Charter of Fundamental Rights—to ensure that Germans expelled from the area after World War ii cannot use the EU courts to regain their property. 

President Klaus is trying for a third time to use the Czech constitutional court to hold up ratification, but looks likely to fail again. Even if he succeeds in gaining some concessions, the Czech Republic doesn’t possess the power and influence that Germany does to gain anything of real value. 

President Klaus may be pressured to back down, just as Ireland and Poland did. If not, pressures are being mounted within powerful EU circles, not the least among German elites, to organize the ouster of the Czech president from office. 

Continue to watch the EU as it becomes a stronger power, and especially Germany as it continues to maneuver itself into a position of greater strength. Klaus’s fears of a German-dominated EU are justified; Germany’s court ruling on the Lisbon Treaty demonstrated that. The very institution supposedly created to curb Germany’s power in Europe is increasingly doing the opposite! 

For more information on what Bible prophecy reveals will happen in Europe, read our free booklet Germany and the Holy Roman Empire. The Czech president will not stop the EU from pressing forward as a dominant global power! •

http://www.thetrumpet.com/index.php?q=6641.5109.0.0

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