World News and Trends: EU members agree on constitution
All 25 European Union (EU) member countries have agreed in Brussels on a final draft of the new European constitution.
Ironically, the stunning anti-Europe vote in the recent EU parliamentary elections probably proved to be the needed catalyst for sudden agreement. Now all EU member nations must seek approval from their national parliaments by December 2006. In addition, Britain and other countries have decided to hold national referenda, also putting approval to their individual citizens.
But what does this new constitution actually do? Noted conservative Daily Telegraph commentator Ambrose-Evans Pritchard concedes: "It brings together 450 million people from 25 states, embracing all the major strands of European culture, in a rich, peaceful and democratic union under one supreme legal document—without a mention of God" (June 19, emphasis added throughout). It also supersedes the founding document, the Treaty of Rome (1957), the Single European Act (1986), the Maastricht Treaty of European Union (1992) and other formal agreements at Amsterdam (1997) and Nice (2000).
How will this new constitution affect the national sovereignty of member countries? Although British Prime Minister Tony Blair has specifically stated that British national sovereignty is still intact in certain key areas like foreign policy and national defense,the European constitution itself broadly states: "This constitution shall have primacy over the laws of the Member states" (Article I-5).
Daniel Hannan, a conservative member of the European Parliament's Constitutional Affairs Committee, has written the following about foreign affairs and defense: "The Prime Minister's claim to have secured his 'red line' in this area is hard to reconcile with the text. Article I-15 reads: 'The common foreign and security policy shall cover all aspects of foreign policy and all questions relating to the Union's security policy actively and unreservedly, in a spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity'" (The Sunday Telegraph, June 20).
Mr. Hannan then adds: "The constitution creates a European foreign minister and a diplomatic corps, and gives legal recognition to the EU's fledgling military forces, which have already been deployed in the Congo and Macedonia."
David Heathcoat-Amory, another conservative on the drafting body, said: "The big issue is whether power remains at Westminster [London] at all, or it goes to Brussels, and under this constitution there will be massive further transfer to Europe" (The Daily Telegraph, June 19).
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard also comments: "The text is full of ambiguities and ... clauses paving the way for Brussels to slice off more power in the future." The leading conservative British papers have all reacted in terms of the dangers of a future European superstate. Yet Mr. Blair specifically stated: "A new Europe has taken shape, a Europe in which Britain can build alliances and feel at home. A Europe in which there's no one dominant view but in which there's a Europe of flexibility and diverse progress" (Brussels speech quoted in the Daily Mail, June 19).
Public and private reaction to the new constitution in each EU country is both pro and con. The important question remains: What does the Bible say about the political future of Europe? For the answer, request our free booklets The Book of Revelation Unveiled and Are We Living in the Time of the End? (Sources: The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, Daily Mail [all London].)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: July - August 2004
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
