UKIP Eastern Counties
The Cameron veto is “worthless”
Wednesday, 1st February 2012
Stuart Agnew MEP
19 January 2012
The EU has found a way to circumvent David Cameron's veto at the EU summit in December, according to UKIP’s East of England MEP, Stuart Agnew. He believes that the EU will use ‘secondary legislation’, allowed under clauses in the Lisbon Treaty. This also means that the Treaty itself will not have to be amended. “This neatly avoids the requirement for a unanimous vote in the Council and of course any referendum anywhere,” said Mr Agnew. “The key legislative areas are ‘Treaty on the Functioning of the EU articles 3.1(c), 4.2 and 5.1.”
Mr Agnew has repeatedly raised the issue in the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee and most recently in Monday’s joint meeting of the Constitutional Affairs and Economics Committees in Strasbourg (16.1.12). Cross examining Commission Representative Romero, Mr Agnew asked: "What is the legal basis for your continuing use of EU institutions and resources to become involved in an Inter-Governmental agreement, when this has been specifically vetoed?” Responding, Mr Romero confirmed that secondary legislation would be used.
This alternative process of secondary legislation is expected to take at least three years, as opposed to the immediacy of a Treaty change and it explains Nick Clegg’s remark about "folding into the existing Treaties."
Mr Agnew said: “Mr Cameron has therefore lost out in three ways. He can have no executive influence on decisions that could involve taking money from British taxpayers. He has not repatriated a single power and he has made enemies who will look to take revenge. His ‘veto’ is worthless.”
