Timothy Kirkhope MEP, former leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament, will shortly revive his blueprint for a better Europe by publishing his alternative to the failed Lisbon Treaty. The document sets out a five point new direction for the EU in the form of a Treaty which the British people could accept. It demonstrates that there is a positive alternative to the pseudo-constitution demolished by the Irish people on Friday.
Timothy Kirkhope MEP, said: "The Lisbon Treaty set out to move Europe in the wrong direction, towards ever more centralisation, while failing to address the real challenges facing Europe.
"The Simplifying Treaty provides a five point positive alternative. It is a route map for the people who want to be in Europe but not run by Europe.
"It meets the requirements set down in the Laeken declaration of making Europe more understandable and relevant to the lives and aspirations of its citizens, but also acknowledges that perhaps some of the wilder ambitions of European leaders should be resisted. The kind of Europe that I want to see is one that responds to its citizens needs but leaves them with maximum freedom to determine their own destinies.
"It shows there is another way for the British people."
____________________________
The Simplifying Treaty’s Five Points:
-Rejecting the Constitution and further integration
The Simplifying Treaty demonstrates that there is a positive and constructive alternative to the integrationist model set out in the Lisbon Treaty. It also shows that there needs to be a rebalancing of the institutions and decision-making in Europe - in favour of elected politicians at Westminster and in the European Parliament. The text does not determine the detail of Party policy, but it is hewn from the underlying instincts of Conservatives that we want to be in Europe, not run by Europe.
- Improving democracy and accountability in the EU
The Simplifying Treaty seeks to stimulate debate about the kind of Europe we in Britain want to see. It is about emphasising a ‘lighter touch’ Europe that is more accountable, transparent and closer to the electorates in the Member States. It re-emphasises the role of nation states by introducing a number of mechanisms to strengthen the role of national parliaments in scrutinising and, if necessary, blocking European proposals.
- Tackling today’s challenges
The Simplifying Treaty contains provision for concerted EU action in pursuit of economic reform, climate change alleviation, global trade, and development, while adding mechanisms to improving the quality of regulation and functioning of EU policies in these areas – for example creating joint committees of MPs and MEPs to oversee the transposition of EU legislation into national law and combat over-regulation.
- Reforming out-of-date policies
The Simplifying Treaty removes from EU competence policies that have manifestly failed and recasts others as shared competences. This would pave the way for a fundamental overhaul of EU policies on Fisheries, Agriculture, Employment and Social Affairs, among others. The Treaty also allows greater flexibility by giving groups of Member States the option of pursuing further integration in specific areas if they wish to do so, while guaranteeing that those who do not participate retain the absolute right to continue to pursue national decision-making in these areas.
- Enabling further enlargement
The Simplifying Treaty’s structure is one that could be signed up to by any number of Member States in future so there would be no legal or institutional barriers to enlargement.