- Title: BELGIUM: CHIRAC BLAMES BRITAIN FOR FAILED EU BUDGET.
- Date: 18th June 2005
- Summary: (BN 01) BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JUNE 18, 2005) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE 2. REPORTERS WATCHING AND LISTENING 3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC SAYING: "What was on the table was for each to bring a reasonable and equitable contribution, particularly with regards to spending, linked to enlargement. Personally I deplore the fact that Britain refused to pay a fair and reasonable share of the cost of enlargement. He wanted to retain his rebate, in its entirety, and this led a few other countries to encourage speculative attitudes, attitudes of strictly national interest to the detriment of the European interest." 4. REPORTERS 5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CHIRAC SAYING: "I underlined rightly the attitude of most, not all, the new entering countries. There was a moment, I must say, full of pathos, the word is not excessive. When one after the other, these countries, which are the least wealthy, which have just entered, which were appalled with the attitude of 2 or 3 of the wealthiest countries and refusing to rethink their acquired advantages. When we heard these countries, one after the other, spontaneously, it was a spontaneous phenomenon, I repeat of pathos, say: "listen, we don't have much, but we are ready, if we can re-open the negotiations, if the Presidency accepts reopening the negotiations, we are ready to say 'no' to some of the advantages that have been conceded. Six or seven of them said that, successively. It was very impressive, very impressive, compared to the selfishness of two or three rich countries. These poor countries saying "We're ready, lets re-open the discussion. We'll give back a part of what we were given'. It was moving too" 6. PHOTOGRAPHERS 7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) CHIRAC ASKING A QUESTION ABOUT THE BRITISH TAKING THE EUROPEAN UNION PRESIDENCY SAYING: "The future will tell. Well of course it has not started in a terribly scintillating manner" 8. CHIRAC AND REPORTERS AT THE NEWS CONFERENCE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 3rd July 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVA7L5EXS8TS736M7XECGTQVTCUM
- Story Text: French President Chirac blames Britain for failed EU
budget talks.
France blamed Britain for the failure of the
European Union to agree on a budget for 2007-2013 on
Saturday (June 18) saying it refused to pay its fair share.
French President Jacques Chirac said Europe was now in
a deep crisis as a result.
"What was on the table was for each to bring a
reasonable and equitable contribution, particularly with
regards to spending, linked to enlargement. Personally I
deplore the fact that Britain refused to pay a fair and
reasonable share of the cost of enlargement. He wanted to
retain his rebate, in its entirety, and this led a few
other countries to encourage speculative attitudes,
attitudes of strictly national interest to the detriment of
the European interest," Chirac said.
He praised a last-minute offer by poor new member
states to give up some aid for a long-term budget deal.
"I underlined rightly the attitude of most, not all,
the new entering countries. There was a moment, I must say,
full of pathos, the word is not excessive. When one after
the other, these countries, which are the least wealthy, which have
jus
t entered, which were appalled with the
attitude of 2 or 3 of the wealthiest countries and refusing
to rethink their acquired advantages. When we heard these
countries, one after the other, spontaneously, it was a
spontaneous phenomenon, I repeat of pathos, say: "listen,
we don't have much, but we are ready, if we can re-open the
negotiations, if the presidency accepts reopening the
negotiations, we are ready to say 'no' to some of the
advantages that have been conceded. Six or seven of them
said that, successively. It was very impressive, very
impressive, compared to the selfishness of two or three
rich countries. These poor countries saying "we're ready,
let's reopen the discussion. We'll give back a part of what
we were given'. It was moving too," Chirac said.
In a welter of recrimination, many leaders blamed
Britain for blocking the deal by rejecting proposals to
limit its annual rebate from EU coffers and demanding a
reform of farm subsidies that benefit France most.
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who
laboured to forge a compromise as EU president, said he was
ashamed that poor new members from eastern Europe had
offered to sacrifice some funds from Brussels in a vain
effort to salvage a deal.
The failure would weaken Europe in the long term and
sharpen a clash of philosophies between believers in
European unity and those who sought a glorified free-trade
area, he said.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder blamed British and
Dutch obstinancy for what he called "one of the worst
crises Europe has known".
But British Prime Minister Tony Blair was defiant,
insisting London had not been isolated since four other
west European countries had opposed the deal, and vowing he
would only trade a reduction in the rebate for an overhaul
of EU farm spending.
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