January 22, 2003	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 18, 1423

BRUSSELS: Many of the 10 countries slated to join the European Union next year fear that the convention charting the EU’s future could spell a new kind of subjugation, so soon after they won their freedom from Soviet rule. They worry that just over a decade after throwing off Moscow’s yoke, the glittering hope of EU membership could result in the smothering embrace of Brussels and a stripped-down sovereignty.

Few object to the convention’s aim of coming up with a new vision for the EU, although certain of the members-in-waiting such as Slovakia and Slovenia would prefer talk of a new “treaty” governing EU relations rather than a constitution.

For Rytis Martikonis, the Lithuanian representative on former French president Valery Giscard d’Estaing’s Convention body, “the EU constitution should not create a new source of sovereignty”. Neither is Hungary about to endure a new erosion of its sovereignty after only winning it back in 1990, according to foreign ministry official Eszter Torda.

In practical terms, the view of sovereignty shared in many eastern European capitals could reinforce Britain’s objections to an end to national vetoes on foreign policy, defence matters or economic policy.

Poland, the biggest of the 10 countries set to join the EU on May 1, 2004, approves in general of the EU’s thrust towards more qualified majority voting, says is European affairs minister Danuta Huebner. But would be extremely hesitant to give up its veto on “fiscal policy and areas of foreign policy”, she said.

The Czech Republic, like Slovakia, supports in foreign and defence matters a policy of “constructive abstention”, under which other EU members could go their own way, evoking the concept of a “two-speed” Europe.

But the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania — oppose any loss of sovereignty in foreign or defence policy.

On the shape of the future European Commission, the candidates are agreed that they want to have their own representative sitting on the EU’s agenda-setting and bureaucratic arm. Under the Nice Treaty, the commission’s current size of 20 will be capped at 25 after next year’s enlargement. That means there will be no more seats at the table in future enlargements, and some countries may lose out.

The candidates are also reluctant to see the EU end its rotational presidency, under which each member gets to chair all meetings of ministers and leaders for six months. The proposal met with a chilly response from Estonia and Poland.—AFP