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Balkans Shaken by the 'No's' Vesna Peric Zimonjic BELGRADE, Jun 1 (IPS) - Leaders in the Balkans have tried to play down the significance of the French and Dutch 'no' to the draft European Union (EU) constitution, but their fears have shown through. The countries are either queuing for EU membership or aspiring to it. The rejection of a common constitution that binds the EU could weaken the bloc they seek to join. Statements by presidents or prime ministers sounded much the same, from the former Yugoslav countries to Romania and Bulgaria. Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters in...

EU constitution poll gives 'no' camp in Denmark unprecedented lead Document Actions 02/06/2005 Boosted by a Dutch and French "no," EU constitution rejectionists made a spectacular comeback in Denmark, according to a poll published Thursday, with more Danes opposing the treaty than in favor of it. The Greens institute poll said 39.5 percent of Danes plan to vote against ratifying the text in the September 27 referendum -- the first time the "no" camp takes the lead in a poll here. Opponents gained 13 points from 26 percent in a poll last month, before French and Dutch voters rejected the...

BRITAIN is leading moves to shelve the European constitution until EU leaders agree a way forward after the emphatic “no” vote in France and the Netherlands. Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, is expected to tell MPs on Monday that legislation paving the way for a British referendum will be suspended until there is “clarity” from EU leaders. Officials in Brussels fear that suspending the ratification process is tantamount to killing it, and European leaders have demanded that the process continue despite the defeats. But other countries facing tough referendum battles signalled that they may follow Britain’s lead, deepening the rifts...

Italian Minister Calls for Referendum on Bringing Back Lira Amid Discontent Over Euro ROME (AP) -- Italy's labor minister called for a referendum to see if Italians want to temporarily bring back the lira after widespread popular discontent over high prices that many blame on the introduction of the euro. The idea was promptly dismissed Friday by both the European Commission and leaders of Italy's governing coalition, and currency markets shrugged off the news. "The euro is here to stay," retorted EU Commission spokeswoman Amelia Torres in Brussels. Labor Minister Roberto Maroni's proposal Thursday is a "bizarre idea and against...

Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg prime minister, has said he will resign if the Grand Duchy votes against the constitution.The current holder of the European Union rotating presidency made the threat after polls showed support for the Yes vote dropping among the 200,000 voters ahead of the July 10 referendum. Mr Juncker has also warned that failure to agree on a new long-term EU budget this month would turn a political problem into a full-blown crisis. Mr Juncker said the single currency shared by 12 EU countries had been weakened by the French and Dutch No votes but was still overvalued...

As Europe reels from two 'No' votes against the EU constitution, an Italian minister caused a further stir today by calling for Italians to be polled on ditching the euro and bringing back the lira.The suggestion for a lira referendum was made by Roberto Maroni, the Welfare Minister in Silvio Berlusconi's coalition, in an interview with La Repubblica published today, but were soon dismissed in Brussels and by financial markets. "I say not to discard this hypothesis because it isn’t at all far-fetched," Signor Maroni said. "Wouldn’t it be better perhaps to return, temporarily, at least to a system of...

EU – Widening popular opposition to the European constitution on Friday seemed set to consign the text to oblivion, in spite of last-ditch efforts by some EU leaders to keep it alive. Four separate polls in Denmark and a survey in the Czech Republic indicated the two countries could both vote No in referendums on the constitution. This follows negative verdicts in France and the Netherlands. Gerhard Schröder, German chancellor, is spearheading an attempt to keep the ratification process on track and is scheduled to meet Jacques Chirac, French president, in Berlin on Saturday. The European Commission is also worried...

ROME (Reuters) - Italy should consider leaving the single currency and reintroducing the lira, Welfare Minister Roberto Maroni said in a newspaper interview on Friday. Maroni, a member of the euro-skeptical Northern League party, told the Repubblica daily Italy should hold a referendum to decide whether to return to the lira, at least temporarily. He also said European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet was one of those chiefly responsible for the "disaster of the euro." The euro "has proved inadequate in the face of the economic slowdown, the loss of competitiveness and the job crisis," Maroni said.

Last Updated: Thursday, 2 June, 2005, 11:39 GMT 12:39 UK EU struggles to save constitution Jean-Claude Juncker was deeply shaken by the double "No" European leaders are struggling to keep the EU constitution alive after French and Dutch voters firmly rejected it."This is a dangerous position to be in," said Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, the current president of the European Union. The Netherlands overwhelmingly rejected the constitution on Wednesday, three days after French voters said "No". The "No" votes of two founding members of the European Union could effectively kill the constitution, analysts say. QUICK GUIDE The...

Airbus is in trouble, big trouble The much vaunted A380 is being plagued by engineering problems, is 5 to 10 tons over promised delivery weight, the break even point is now well over 250 units and may well reach 300. There are rumours that one of the customers may cancel their order and go to Boeing with the 777LR. The costs involved in all these problems are horrendous, obviously the weight problem is going to cost them penalties, the engineering problems may have been caused by trying to vigorously reduce weight at the expense of strength. Costs have gone through...

A massacre. According to the first exit poll, 63 percent of the Dutch voted no. The turnout was very high at 62 percent.

Dead and buried Leader Thursday June 2, 2005 Guardian It came as little surprise last night when Dutch voters said an overwhelming no - 62% - to the EU's new constitutional treaty. But there should be no underestimating the impact. In just four days two of the six founding members of the then European Economic Community, forerunner of today's union of 25 countries and 455 million people, have rejected a document designed to meet the challenges of the continent's future. If the results were similar in France and the Netherlands, different factors were at work. The Dutch are less worried...

PARIS - The Airbus A380 may have overcome its weight problem, but the full cost of beating the bulge looked set to mount Wednesday as the European plane maker confirmed delivery delays of up to six months. "We've now spoken to A380 customers and told them how they will be affected," Airbus spokesman David Velupillai said. "The delays range from two to six months depending on the customer." Airbus, which is betting on the A380 to maintain the lead it took over U.S. rival Boeing Co. in 2003, had warned launch customer Singapore Airlines Ltd. in April that it would...

The idea of the EU as a bastion against global competition was always a self-indulgent pipedream Whatever you think of European integration, there is something inspiring about 20 million people who, having been told what to do by their most respected politicians and after listening attentively, then do the exact opposite. This week’s referendums in France and the Netherlands are probably the most significant event in European history since the end of the Cold War. As in Germany after its citizens found that they could smash symbolic chunks out of the Berlin Wall with impunity, everyday life in Europe may...

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) The European Union was in disarray on Thursday after the Netherlands followed France in resoundingly rejecting the bloc's new constitution, possibly stalling future expansion and disrupting decision making. The rejection of the charter by two of the six countries that founded the bloc in the 1950s could deal a fatal blow to a treaty designed to make the EU run more smoothly following its enlargement from 15 to 25 states last year. The votes also cast doubt on the EU's hopes for a stronger foreign policy and its plans to expand further to the western Balkans, Turkey and...

PARIS (Reuters) - Opposition to the European Union constitution is growing in France despite political leaders' efforts to drum up support for the treaty, a poll shows. Fifty-five percent of French voters who have decided how they will vote in a May 29 referendum on the constitution plan to reject the text, according to the poll for the weekly Marianne magazine, to be published on Saturday. The poll was the third survey in less than two weeks to show a majority against a constitution that is intended to make the EU work more smoothly. The proportion opposed to the treaty...