United Europe draft treaty approved

Press, 16 February 1984, Page 8

United Europe draft treaty approved

NZPA-AP Strasbourg The European Parliament approved yesterday a draft treaty designed to convert the European Community into a loose confederacy called the European Union, implementing a promise on which many of its members campaigned in 1979. The measure was approved on a 229-31 vote with 42 abstentions after a fivehour debate. Opposition came largely from French Communists and some British Conservatives. The debate was marked more by disappointment about the inability of Com-

munity governments to deal with the Common Market’s money crisis than by optimism that any of the 10 member States will rush to join the union.

The 10 members — Belgium, Denmark, France, West Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom — intend to integrate their economies and co-ordinate social developments. The most controversial of the 87 articles of the draft treaty is a provision to abolish within 10 years the “unanimity” principle under

which a single country may veto a Community-wide decision. The union would function under a majority system of weighted votes. The European Commission would keep its powers of administering Community laws and proposing new legislation. The Parliament, which now acts as an advisory body to the Community governments and whose only power is to approve the annual budget, gave itself legislative authority and the power to confirm or reject appointments to the Commission.