MPs were urged to stand up to Brussels last night — after German judges called the EU treaty an illegal power grab. Berlin’s highest court said the document robs nations of the right to set laws on defence, taxes, the police, education, media and culture.
Judges demanded its parliament be allowed to overrule Brussels — and will delay bringing the treaty into law. Think tank Open Europe said: “British MPs need to wake up — and demand the same powers.”

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2534237/German-judges-call-EU-treaty-not-legal.html

EU politicians to travel to Ireland to interfere in referendum

Ahead of the second Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty on 2 October, Jerzy Buzek, the new President of the European Parliament, has said that he will travel to Ireland “to tell people what the treaty is for” and “what’s going on in it”. He has also indicated that he could travel there with former Irish EP President Pat Cox. The Euractiv website notes that this marks a significant change in tack for the EU establishment, which in the run-up to the first Irish referendum was wary of active involvement in the ‘Yes’ campaign. This time around, pro-Lisbon forces around the EU have no such qualms about making their presence felt in the Irish referendum campaign. (EurActiv Open Europe blog, 13 July)

Similarly, Irish officials in the EU Commission have confirmed they will take part in the EU’s so-called “Back to School” programme, which the European Commission describes as an opportunity to “‘give Europe a face’ and to take part in discussions with school students on European issues of interest to them.” The programme will see six hundred European officials return to their old schools across nine countries this year.

As noted by Irish Times columnist Miriam Lord, “Co-incidentally, when the 80 or so Irish officials return to the schools, the Lisbon referendum campaign will be in full swing. No doubt the visitors will be mindful that the majority of No voters were women, and they’ll be hoping to bag a few EU brownie points among the mammies.” (Commission press release Irish Times, 20 July)

Meanwhile, Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen is growing in confidence that his government can carry a Yes vote, telling a Spanish newspaper: “We will win the referendum”. (El Pais El Pais 2 Open Europe blog, 20 July)

However, Foreign Minister Micheál Martin this week made a misguided quip to a German newspaper, saying, in reference to the referendum, “democracies are complex”, adding, “would a dictatorship not be delightfully simple?” (FAZ, 21 July; Telegraph: Hannan blog, 22 July) Also referring to the Irish vote, EU Commissioner Joaquin Almunia told a Spanish newspaper that it is “not very democratic” to hold referendums on EU treaties. (Open Europe blog, 20 July)

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