Speaking ahead of a special meeting of EU Council Ministers in Brussels to select a new EU President, DUP MEP Diane Dodds has expressed concern at continuing speculation linking Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy as the front runner for the post created as a consequence of the Lisbon treaty. Mrs. Dodds also hit out at the estimated total cost of the new post, believed to be in the region on six million Euros per year. Commenting, the DUP MEP said:
“The Lisbon treaty represents a further step forward for the federalist agenda of Brussels eurocrats, who seek to take power away from our national government in Westminster and centralise more power in the European institutions. That is why I vehemently opposed its ratification and why the Labour government and Tory party should have held to their commitment to hold a referendum.
Now, in the post-Lisbon era, and in their relentless pursuit to bestow upon themselves the trappings of statehood and all the appearance of a European super-state, the EU has now set about identifying who will fill the post of EU President and the new role of foreign policy ‘supremo’. Speculation linking Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy with the post of EU President is concerning. In recent days he has stated his desire to see the introduction of an EU tax, something that must be opposed outright. Furthermore, he advocates the creation of a ‘European identity’ that would entail the removal of national symbols and replacing them with a common pan-European symbolism. People in the United Kingdom are against such erosion of our identity and our sovereignty.
Whether it be Mr. Van Rompuy, or other candidates such as former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga, who finally secures the post, they need to realise that the patience of the British public in relation to Europe is wearing thin. When one thinks of the total cost associated with this new post of EU President, believed to be six million Euros per year, one wonders if in this current economic climate it is the best of use of EU funds.
The choice made by EU Ministers in Brussels in the next 48 hours will indicate the agenda the EU will pursue for the coming years. What is clear is that whoever the successful candidates might be for the vacant positions, they will be united in one common goal – the federalist agenda. Our national sovereignty is under threat and it is incumbent on our government and any future UK government to ensure their words of opposition to such a power grab are carried out with deeds. We have been let down by broken pledges and ‘cast iron guarantees’ before. It is now time to have a serious discussion about our future relationship with the EU.”
