10 Years?

This article in the Economist highlights the difficulties Angela Merkell had about amending the Lisbon treaty at the recent European Council meeting. Merkell is worried, with good reason, that the current challenge in the German Constitutional Court to the Greek bailout may prove successful, however other countries are worried (i.e. Cameron) of the problems that changing the treaty would unleash:

Viviane Reding, the European Commission’s vice-president, spoke for many national leaders when she declared yesterday: “Look back at what had to happen with the Lisbon treaty. We needed ten years to bring that treaty into being. So for heaven's sake, I think it would be irresponsible, and I say that again, if we were to reopen the Pandora's box.”

Now do you spot anything odd about that quote? The Lisbon Treaty negotiations didn't start until June 2007 - that's only 3 years ago. Now, for a coincidence, the EU Commission's university; the European University in Florence just so happened in 2000 to produce a draft report of an EU 'Constitution' in the same year as we had these quotes:

"The Charter of Fundamental Rights should be seen as the central element of a process culminating in the European Union's adoption of a constitution. " — Resolution of the European Parliament, Agence Europe, 16th March 2000

"There is good reason to accept this text as the basis for an eventual European constitution." — German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder , The Irish Times, 16th October 2000

And there was me thinking that the Lisbon Treaty was different because Labour said so:

Secondly, we do not propose to have a referendum on the reform treaty precisely because it is not a constitution.

Update: The Final Redoubt 'celebrates' the upcoming anniversary of the Czech Republic's capitulation on Lisbon.