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EU treaty good for UK, says Blair EU treaty good for UK, says Blair
(about 3 hours later)
An agreement reached on a new European Union treaty protects Britain's interests, Tony Blair says. An agreement reached in Brussels on a new European Union treaty protects Britain's interests, Tony Blair says.
EU leaders in Brussels have agreed an outline of new rules for the 27-member bloc after two days of tough talks.
Mr Blair said the "four essential things" the UK needed to protect its position "have all been obtained".
It gives the UK an opt-out on a charter of human and social rights and keeps Britain's independent foreign policy and tax and benefit arrangements.It gives the UK an opt-out on a charter of human and social rights and keeps Britain's independent foreign policy and tax and benefit arrangements.
It also allows the government to take on those parts of EU judicial and crime policy it chooses to. Gordon Brown also intervened to persuade Mr Blair to demand a protocol to protect the EU's internal market.
Mr Blair had gone to Brussels with these four "red lines" which he did not want crossed before a deal could be made. EU leaders reached a deal after two days of tough talks. Critics in the UK have demanded a referendum.
The new treaty is planned to replace the failed EU constitution, which was rejected by voters in 2005. Former SDP leader and Labour foreign secretary Lord Owen said: "These issues that the Prime Minister's been discussing over the midnight hours in Brussels are deep constitutional questions and to pretend otherwise is absurd."
Mr Blair said the most important thing about the deal was that it allowed European nations to move on. 'Not a problem'
Mr Brown and Mr Blair had several last-minute telephone conversations after the chancellor expressed his unhappiness at a concession to France which had removed a treaty objective of "free and undistorted competition".
But Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett told Radio 4's Today programme the prime minister-in-waiting's objections had now been "sorted" and were "not a problem".
She said Britain was not a country which "governs by referendum", adding: "People buy into the notion that somehow some massive change has taken place. This is not a massive change."
This deal gives us a chance to move on Tony Blair
The new treaty is planned to replace the failed EU constitution, which was rejected by voters in France and the Netherlands in 2005.
Mr Blair said the most important thing about the deal was that it allowed the 27 European nations to move forward.
"The truth is we've been arguing now for many years about the constitutional question," he said."The truth is we've been arguing now for many years about the constitutional question," he said.
"This deal gives us a chance to move on. It gives us a chance to concentrate on the issues to do with the economy, organised crime, terrorism, immigration, defence, climate change, the environment, energy - the problems that really concern citizens in Europe.""This deal gives us a chance to move on. It gives us a chance to concentrate on the issues to do with the economy, organised crime, terrorism, immigration, defence, climate change, the environment, energy - the problems that really concern citizens in Europe."
'Fundamental rights''Fundamental rights'
At the end of two days of talks, Mr Blair described in detail the four essentials required by the UK. Mr Blair had gone to Brussels with four "red lines" on human and social rights, foreign policy and tax and benefits which he did not want crossed before a deal could be made.
"Those were first of all to make it absolutely clear that the charter on fundamental rights was not going to be justiciable in British courts or alter British law," he said.
That had been secured by a specific protocol for the UK.
He said the summit had secured all of Britain's four key demands and meant the treaty would not require a referendum in the UK.He said the summit had secured all of Britain's four key demands and meant the treaty would not require a referendum in the UK.
I think a stronger EU is in Britain's interest, but it should be a union of sovereign states and not a federal union Tony Blair in Brussels EU leaders agree on treaty We are very, very satisfied with what we have been able to conclude Angela Merkel EU leaders agree on treaty
At the end of the talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that "we have a detailed and clear mandate for an IGC [inter-governmental conference]" which will draft the actual treaty. It would, he said, allow the government to take on those parts of EU judicial and crime policy it chooses to.
"We are very, very satisfied with what we have been able to conclude." At the end of the talks, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the current EU president, said they had achieved "a detailed and clear mandate" for an inter-governmental conference which will draft the actual treaty.
Ms Merkel said it had not been easy but in the end everyone had made concessions. "We are very, very satisfied with what we have been able to conclude," she said.
A concession to France at the Brussels summit had removed a treaty objective of "free and undistorted competition". The treaty will need to be ratified by each of the EU's member states at the end of the year, before entering into force in mid-2009.
Mr Blair said that a legally-binding protocol would ensure the EU's internal market system was not affected.
The protocol was added after several telephone conversations between Mr Blair and Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown, who was not happy with the concession.
The IGC now has a precise mandate to draft a reform treaty by the end of the year, says the BBC's Oana Lungescu in Brussels.
This treaty will then need to be ratified by each of the EU's member states.
Mr Blair also made a "strong plea" for Britain to understand that "Europe has changed".
"We have a commission president who is a reformer, we have got an enlarged EU with real allies for Britain now, we have got a German Chancellor and French president in favour of the trans-Atlantic alliance," he said.
The prime minister said there was "a fantastic opportunity" for Britain.
"Because I think a stronger EU is in Britain's interest, but it should be a union of sovereign states and not a federal union," he said.
"I would say that that is accepted by most people inside the European Union today."
Mr Blair told reporters he was "absolutely confident" of Mr Brown's support for the agreement, and he did not think there would be any obstacles in finalising the treaty in December.Mr Blair told reporters he was "absolutely confident" of Mr Brown's support for the agreement, and he did not think there would be any obstacles in finalising the treaty in December.