Agreement with a silver pen

Lisbon brought Europe out of the deadlock

The long-awaited reform agreement was signed yesterday in the capital of Portugal -a new basic document defining the principles of functioning of the European Union . It has already received the name of the Lisbon Treaty. At the signing ceremony, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso said that the Lisbon Treaty “brought a united Europe out of a period of uncertainty.” A senior European official emphasized that the document became an “agreement for an expanded Europe” stretching from the Mediterranean to the Baltic. "Once divided by the Iron Curtain, it is now united by treaty," Mr. Barroso said.

On the day of the celebration, the Portuguese government announced free travel on public transport and entrance to state museums. In the morning, a bright but cold sun flooded the tourist heart of the Portuguese capital. The huge space adjacent to the Tagus River, with the monument to the pioneer sailors, the presidential palace surrounded by greenery, the openwork Belem Tower and the architectural pearls of the city center was unusually empty. The night before, police cordoned off the area, cutting it off from the rest of the city. The Jeronimos Monastery was dressed up - the white stone, cleared of the dust of four centuries, reflected the glare of the sun, blue paths and rugs were spread out everywhere, and flags of EU member countries were flying at the entrance to the building.

The cleaners were still finishing their work with vacuum cleaners, sweeping away the debris caused by the night wind, when at 10 o'clock in the morning the hosts of the meeting appeared at the monastery - the Prime Minister of Portugal and the Chairman of the European Council, Jose Socrates, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luis Amado. For them it was a historic day, because the future of all of Europe was being decided in the Portuguese capital. The day before, in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ABC, Minister Amadou admitted that “the failure of ratification of the Lisbon Treaty in one of the member countries will cause a severe crisis in a united Europe with difficult to predict, including economic, consequences.”

The day before, members of the left parties in the European Parliament staged a real obstruction to Jose Socrates, who arrived there to tell the people's representatives about the upcoming signing of the Lisbon Treaty. MEPs unfurled a poster with the word “referendum” and in every possible way interfered with the Prime Minister’s speech. The fact is that EU countries can ratify the treaty within the walls of parliaments without plebiscites. A referendum is binding only in Ireland. “EU governments prefer not to take risks. After all, a united Europe is created not by citizens, but by bureaucrats behind desks who are afraid to put the treaty to a referendum,” Social Democrat and former Portuguese Finance Minister Bagao Felix told Vremya Novostey.

The Lisbon Treaty is intended to replace the draft EU constitution, which failed in 2005 in referendums in France and Holland. “Ratification of the treaty is legitimate both through a referendum and a vote in parliament. Each country is free to choose the method of ratification,” socialist and former European Commissioner for Security Issues Antonio Vitorin explained to Vremya Novostey. In his opinion, the Lisbon Treaty will help the European Union more effectively solve problems in the areas of foreign policy, combating global challenges and, no less important, the economy, because “in recent years, Europe has begun to lose competitiveness, and it has formed an army of 20 million unemployed people.” .

The welcoming ceremony for the arriving 27 delegations of countries - members of the EU and the European Commission - lasted for an hour and a half. French President Nicolas Sarkozy was the last to arrive. Putting on his jacket as he walked, he hurried along the carpet so much that he did not see his hosts waiting for him on the side. Warm apologies and hugs followed. The courtyard of the monastery, where the monks of the Order of St. Jerome once strolled, was turned into a stage for the signing of a historical document. About half a thousand guests sat around.

The ceremony began with a speech by José Socrates. “By signing the Lisbon Treaty today, we are moving forward the European project. This is what the people of Europe expect from us, who want to see it stronger and more ambitious,” said the Prime Minister of Portugal, which holds the EU presidency until the end of the year. The last speaker was the President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pettering. He stated that after the signing of the Lisbon Treaty, “the European Union is emerging from a long crisis stronger and more united” and expressed hope that the document will be successfully ratified by January 1, 2009.

To the sounds of music, the Belgian delegation was the first to sign the text of the treaty at 12.25. At 12.50, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband was the last to sign two copies of the document. Only two hours later, Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in Lisbon - he joined his colleagues during lunch and signed the document in a separate room. The hosts of the meeting prepared for each of the signatories a souvenir silver pen with the engraving “Lisbon Treaty”. The British Prime Minister did not miss his chance to receive the pen.

After a short musical break and the traditional “family photo,” the delegations left the monastery. A special tram, painted in EU blue colors, took guests to the Carriage Museum, located half a kilometer from the monastery. There, in the hall of ancient royal carriages of the 15th-19th centuries, a banquet awaited them, which was given by the President of the Republic, Cavaco Silva, in honor of the distinguished guests.

To the displeasure of the owners, the largest trade union association in the country was demonstrating in front of the museum. Demonstrators noisily demanded that the Lisbon Treaty be put to a referendum. However, the end of the historic day passed as it should: the evening sky over the capital was lit up with magnificent fireworks.

Alexander ZDITOVETSKY, Lisbon