Spain to Guide EU on Use of Lisbon Treaty

Spain takes over the EU presidency in January. They will be the first member state to guide the Union using the Treaty of Lisbon as the new rudder. Some claim it will be a presidency of transition. As part of the preparations a delegation of the blocs Committee on Constitutional Affairs met in the Spanish capital Madrid. Talks with the Spanish Secretary of State for the EU Diego LÓPEZ GARRIDO gets the day underway. He is a strong advocate of a single European voice on foreign policy.
 
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Diego LÓPEZ GARRIDO, Spanish Secretary of State for the EU, in Spanish:
"The way we went about things in the past will no longer be the case. The new EU will be less divisive, what happened over the Iraq war won't happen again. The main shift is that Europe will have a single voice on foreign policy and I think it's a key objective of the Treaty. We have a High Representative, Catherine ASHTON, working along with the EU's diplomatic arm will help develop a strong EU foreign policy."
 
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During the Iraq conflict the EU splintered. The creation of these new roles within the Union is a step forward according to MEP Íñigo MÉNDEZ DE VIGO.
 
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MEP Íñigo MÉNDEZ DE VIGO (EPP, ES), in Spanish:
"Who was the president of European Council when military intervention in Iraq was being discussed, nobody knows, well it was the Greek presidency. However people didn't see Kostas SIMITIS as the European Council President, but as the leader of his country. Now we have a permanent president. And there is a difference with Javier SOLANA, who did a good job; I salute the High Representative who is also the vice-president of the Commission. She won't wait for foreign ministers to call...she'll be putting the calls in."

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[tedkanode123]

very interesting post. Keep it up!



[mad8london247]

The EU to have one voice in foreign policy? I'd agree with regards to dealing with nations like Russia, USA and China.

Not sure about the rest.

[MarquisdeBarrabas]

Again, agreed.

[just0guessing]

holy toledo! everything i just said ... i meant what u said, lol i shouldve read ur thing! i agree exactly with u :D

[just0guessing]

(oop, sorry lots to say :D ) is, as like the US b4 the civil war, with stronger states than the central gov't... i think it's confederacy, unitarianism, and federalism? the US has a federalism with a strong unitarian gov't with weak states rights, EU has strong states, with weak central gov't but still a unifying central gov't... idk i think i'm rambling here haha! but that's what i think is kind've cool and great about the EU

[just0guessing]

you know, actually i was thinking, the way the EU seems like today, is kind of similar to that of the US at the beginning... what i mean is all the sates in the usa thought of themselves as their own country first off, like in the Civil War (1861-1865) states left bc they felt it their right as their own kindve country, it's the same thing with the EU, and i'm not saying they should go more central, as the US did after the civil war, but rather, i'm thinking the EU should continue continue as it

[blech143]

MarquisdeBarrabas i totley agree with you if we make a single voice when it comes to invading sovering nations it nothing good would come from it we need to be like the usa in some way with agreeing but unlike the usa were countrys not stats as the EU we need to work together but at the same time one it comes to something like invading a sovereign country then we need to alow open choues

[drewsick]

Because its true

[NUNOQUADROS]

why you say that _

[obamabinladenbush]

Fredrik Reinfeldt the biggest heroin dealer in Europe and a member of the Afghan-American heroin cartel.