[1]www.guardian.
cameron
EU allies warn David Cameron over right wing pact
German, Swedish and Czech leaders say walkout will leave Tories
isolated
* [2]Ian Traynor in Brussels
* [3]guardian.
* [4]Article history
[5]David Cameron is coming under fierce criticism from
centre-right allies in Europe for his decision to ditch
mainstream conservatism in the EU in order to lead a new movement
of Eurosceptics.
In advance of next month's European elections, the Tory leader
came under fire from senior figures over his move to end 17 years
of alliance with the European People's party (EPP), which groups
the centre-right in the parliament, and to establish a caucus of
"European [6]Conservatives"
• Chancellor Angela Merkel of [7]Germany appeared to threaten to
withhold cooperation from the Conservatives.
• Cameron's close ally, Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime
minister, warned the Tory leader that he faced isolation.
Reinfeldt called on Cameron to reverse his decision to quit the
EPP.
• A senior Czech politician added that his liberal rightwing ODS
party, a key Cameron partner, was having second thoughts about
joining the Tories in the new caucus being plotted.
• Hans-Gert Poettering, the German Christian Democrat who
presides over the European parliament, angrily described Cameron
as untrustworthy.
"David Cameron tried to leave the [EPP] group in this
[parliamentary] term, despite a commitment to stay until 2009.
This was in contradiction to the commitment they had with our
group," Poettering said. He also criticised Cameron's stance on
ratification of the Lisbon treaty.
In her first public criticism of Cameron's European policies,
Merkel told a campaign rally in Berlin at the weekend that you
could not oppose the Lisbon treaty while urging more EU
enlargement – the Conservative position. The treaty streamlining
the way the EU is run is expected to come into force at the end
of the year if the Irish support it in a second referendum in
October. The Tories are fiercely opposed to Lisbon and promise a
British referendum if they come to power with the treaty not
fully ratified.
Merkel said: "We refuse to extend our hand to those who reject
the Lisbon treaty ... and who at the same time speak of
enlargement.
A spokesman for David Cameron said: "We take a different view. We
have always opposed the Lisbon treaty, the EU constitution in all
but name. We are the only party promising the British people a
referendum on it at these European elections. We have a positive
vision of Europe, and strongly support the EU's enlargement to
new members, but we profoundly believe the Lisbon treaty is wrong
and would take the EU in the wrong direction by concentrating
even more power in Brussels."
The Tories have been part of the EPP in Strasbourg and Brussels
for 17 years, but when winning the party leadership in 2005,
Cameron pledged to abandon the parliament's biggest caucus and
form a new grouping of Eurosceptics.
Friends and foe alike say the Tories are shooting themselves in
the foot by trading power and influence in the committees
dominated by the centre-right for a motley crew of
Brussels-bashing populists and reactionaries on the rightwing
fringes of Europe.
[8]David Miliband, the foreign secretary, said Cameron's policy
was "misbegotten, mistaken, misguided ... the Conservatives offer
a fast route to the margins of Europe and the margins
internationally.
Reinfeldt, who like Cameron rebuilt a demoralised conservative
party and is said to be a close personal and political friend of
the Tory leader, appealed for a rethink. "I feel very close to
[Cameron's] ambition to revitalise the British Conservatives,
the Swedish prime minister said. "But on his European move, I
would like to see them stay on inside the EPP. Because Cameron
will definitely need his friends in Europe. You can't be on your
own. You need strong support."
A former EPP official said the Conservatives had generated deep
hostility, especially in Merkel's CDU, by mishandling their
divorce from the European centre-right. "He has mightily pissed
off most of the main players by getting into stupid arguments
with his advisers about whether or not to attend, for example,
EPP summits, then not turning up, but in the muddle failing even
to make formal polite excuses. This is not quickly forgiven on
this side of the Channel."
An aide to Cameron said the Tories would easily muster the
minimum of 25 MEPs from at least seven countries needed to
qualify for official fraction status in the parliament. The
Conservatives, the ODS (Civic Democratic party) in the [9]Czech
Republic, and Poland's rightwing Law and Justice party are the
three biggest prospective partners. European pollsters say the
Conservatives could attract MEPs from up to nine countries,
comfortably passing the threshold to become the fourth biggest
caucus in the new parliament, which convenes in July following
elections on 4-7 June.
The Czech ODS has been Cameron's closest ally in Europe. But a
senior ODS figure sounded worried this week. "The ODS could
change its mind," said the former government minister. "We'll
wait to see the election results. Cameron could struggle to get
the seven countries."
Although the Cameron aide was confident that European
centre-right leaders would work well with a Tory government,
Merkel's remarks suggested otherwise. Poettering, who is from
Merkel's CDU and has had dealings with four Tory leaders over the
past decade, said: "Cameron thinks that in stepping away there
will still be good cooperation with the EPP. But that would be
against human nature."
References
1. http://www.guardian
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3. http://www.guardian
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