Brexit: The EU is tying itself in knots! (4k)

Brexit: The EU is tying itself in knots

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Brussels is having a few tussles with its member states while trying to get its budget for 2021 to 2027 sorted out. Oh and it seems to have tripped itself up over Brexit too.

The EU desperately needs to sort its budget out before the end of the year, or it will be forced, under EU law, to extend the existing budget, until such time as they do agree one. With some quite severe repercussions.

And the EU Commission seems to have jumped the gun on the legal action it's taking against the UK over Brexit. You won't want to miss that one.

Now, as as I understand it, not agreeing a budget would mean no Coronavirus rescue package for the EU and no five billion euro Brexit fund to help those affected.

And what are the main issues surrounding their non-agreement?

Well, it seems that those member states with the money do not like the idea of those without the money receiving free cash or cheap loans with no strings attached.

They want to ensure that countries like Poland and Hungary fall into line with EU rule of law requirements. So they want any budget money allocated to those countries to come with all sorts of prerequisites for political reform included.

But, due to the requirement for unanimity, they also need Poland and Hungary to agree to those conditions being in the budget.

And unsurprisingly - Poland and Hungary weren't happy about that.

So Brussels attempted to water down the rule of law requirements in the budget and, as a result, nine member states including Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, have rejected those proposals as too weak.

Now Article 2 of the Lisbon Treaty says:

"The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail."

And, to allow enforcement of Article 2, Article 7 lays out a procedure where, after a process for calling a recalcitrant member state to task:

"...the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may decide to suspend certain of the rights deriving from the application of the Treaties to the Member State in question, including the voting rights of the representative of the government of that Member State in the Council.

"In doing so, the Council shall take into account the possible consequences of such a suspension on the rights and obligations of natural and legal persons.

"The obligations of the Member State in question under this Treaty shall in any case continue to be binding on that State."

But many in the EU think this is too weak.

So, with doubts over the democratic credentials of some member states like Poland and Hungary, as well as Romania, Croatia and Slovakia, other member states wanted the budget system changed to give rule of law enforcement some extra oomph.

But with the risk of the budget being voted out, the EU Commission watered down all that in its budget proposals.

Meaning that the EU presumably won't, as a whole, be living up to its own requirements under Article 2.

But in the meanwhile, the EU needs to get its budget through to get the pandemic relief package rolling.

And, as I said, that means unanimity amongst the EU27. Talk about a Catch-22.

Now, were the UK still a member state, I wonder which way the Remainers would have wanted the UK to vote?

To get the money including the rescue package sorted now and leave the rule of law aspects for a later date?

Or to insist on the political and democratic agenda and have a frozen budget?

But, thankfully, we in the UK don't need to care any more.

But this is not the only area where Brussels seems to have a foul up on its hands.

Do you remember when Brussels sent the UK a threatening letter because of the Withdrawal Agreement busting clauses in the UK Internal Market Bill?

Yes, about three weeks ago they threatened legal action with the EU Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, saying at the time:

"We had invited our British friends to remove the problematic parts of their draft Internal Market Bill, by the end of September.

"This draft bill is by its very nature, a breach of the obligation of good faith, laid down in the Withdrawal Agreement. Moreover, if adopted as is, it will be in full contradiction to the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Видео Brexit: The EU is tying itself in knots! (4k) канала Jeff Taylor