EU SUMMIT Socrates says treaty deal means EU no longer in crisis UPDATE

EU SUMMIT Socrates says treaty deal means EU no longer in crisis UPDATE

	Published : Fri, 19 Oct 2007 01:55 By : Agencies Print this Story

(Updates with further detail on reform treaty proposals, background)

LISBON (Thomson Financial) - Agreement on the EU reform treaty has ended the bloc's period of institutional crisis, Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said.

Socrates, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, was speaking at a news conference after EU leaders finally resolved all their differences on the treaty, which ranged from voting rights to whether cyrillic script could be used to spell 'euro'.

'With this accord Europe has emerged from its institutional crisis,' Socrates said.

'We have managed to get out a blind alley we have been in for some time (and we are) ready to tackle the challenges of the future.'

'Tomorrow we will be begin to discuss the external dimension of the Lisbon agenda, preparing Europe for the future.'

The deal, which comes after French and Dutch voters rejected in 2005 a full-blown EU constitution, was sealed during a summit here after leaders overcame objections from Poland and Italy.

Socrates said the redistribution of European Parliament members would be decided at the December leaders' summit in Brussels.

EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso called the treaty 'an historic achievement'.

'I believe we have a treaty that will give us now the capacity to act,' he said.

But he warned: 'The reform of institutions is not an end in itself .. our citizens want results. They want to see in concrete terms what Europe brings them in their daily lives.'

The reform treaty includes plans for a long-term president, a foreign affairs head, fewer national veto powers and a slimmed-down commission.

It will be formally signed by EU leaders on Dec 13 before a ratification process in the member states. The treaty is seen entering into force in Jan 2009, before European elections in June of that year.

Agreement on the new treaty was seen as vital to streamline the workings of a bloc which has expanded to 27 member states from 15 since 2004.

simon.zekaria@thomson.com

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