[PGalt]

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

[WI Conservative 4 Bush]

Hmm, 120 Billion to run the EU every year. There's some money well-spent.

Why don't I hear Bono telling them to send that dough to Africa?

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Will the EU just die, already?

[sierrahome]

I had to reread that headline...I thought they were planning for the inevitable budget collapse if they were to ever get off the ground.

[FreeRep]

EU, dominated by France, will take whatever position its paying customers tell it to take, even supporting an offensive against USA. We should support a boycott of all French products. The they deserve it!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[NormsRevenge]

British Prime Minister Tony Blair dismissed suggestions that Britain was the main cause of the summit's collapse, insisting four other countries also were unable to reach agreement.

In what appeared to be a veiled reference to Chirac, Blair said: "I'm not prepared to have someone tell me there is only one view of what Europe is."

"Europe isn't owned by any of them, Europe is owned by all of us."

----

Give him hell, Tony!

[CO Gal]

Devil's in the details when planning your One World Order. (Hee-hee-hee!)

[spokeshave]

"In a sign of how much the EU's new members were prepared to go to clinch a deal, Poland, the Czech Republic and eight other eastern nations offered funds destined for them to their rich western partners."

Yeah ...those Easties are smart...50 years under the communist yoke tought them how to short circuit the rules...and the EU is the same central planning but with a smiley face.

See all those "Polish Plumbers" flocking to France and Germany to take jobs the natives are too haughty to bother with.

[Soul Seeker]

In what appeared to be a veiled reference to Chirac, Blair said: "I'm not prepared to have someone tell me there is only one view of what Europe is."

"Europe isn't owned by any of them, Europe is owned by all of us."

Reminds me of a certain Texan.

WTG Tony!

This is almost as fun as the days of Freedom Fries. LOL

[mmercier]

House of cards...?

Of course this is all the fault of Britannia, as it is their lone economy that still manages to perform.

More like Humpty Dumpty.

[JasonC]

If "selfishness" of "rich states" is so appalling, why doesn't rich France agree to give up all payments to France under the CAP? Oh right, because they are too selfless for that...

[stripes1776]

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said, "We are in one of the worst political crises Europe has ever seen. We could not get an agreement because of the stubbornness of Great Britain and the Netherlands."

Europe is not in a crisis. All that has happened is that French and German influence has been greatly reduced in the political and economic affairs of Europe.

[SunkenCiv]

It's worse than it looks.

Europe divided by two opposing philosophies
18.06.2005 - 08:20 CET | By Honor Mahony
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19363

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - Following a bitter and failed summit on the future funding of the EU, veteran politician and current head of the EU Jean-Claude Juncker has concluded that Europe is divided into two opposing camps - a free trade camp and a political Europe camp.

[heh... but I thought "social" and "economic" and "political" were interchangeable?]

EU braces itself for tough and acrimonious summit
16.06.2005 - 09:46 CET | By Honor Mahony
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19338

EU fails to agree its budget
18.06.2005 - 02:23 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19361

Juncker doubts agreement on EU budget is possible
15.06.2005 - 14:26 CET | By Elitsa Vucheva
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19333

Leaders express doubt about final budget deal
16.06.2005 - 17:44 CET | By Lucia Kubosova
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19346

Sweden ready to veto EU budget
16.06.2005 - 22:47 CET | By Lisbeth Kirk
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19352

Chirac questions EU’s ability to expand further
17.06.2005 - 09:16 CET | By Elitsa Vucheva
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19353

EU at a crossroads, says Barroso
15.06.2005 - 17:35 CET | By Honor Mahony
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19334

EU constitution ratification delayed in Germany
16.06.2005 - 08:36 CET | By Honor Mahony
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19340

EU leaders abandon constitution deadline
17.06.2005 - 01:04 CET | By Honor Mahony
http://www.euobserver.com/?sid=9&aid=19349

[backhoe]

European Union Implosion

[Malesherbes]

It is Chirac himself who has brought on this "crisis," and for this we should be grateful. He arrogantly insisted on a referendum wrongly thinking that it would easily pass, and it was he who insisted on making an issue of Britain's "rebate," forgetting that the Brits who are no fools would counter by putting France's cherished "Common Agricultural Policy" on the table. French newspapers are now saying that Chirac is in a daze, not realizing what is happening to him.