A EU summit meeting ended in failure and mutual recriminations early yesterday morning, after the collapse of negotiations over plans for a budget.
Reflecting the turmoil after a series of political setbacks in recent weeks, leaders of the EU lashed out at one another, reinforcing the view that the half-century process of European integration may be over.
"My enthusiasm for Europe has suffered a profound shock," said Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg's prime minister, after the talks broke down. "People will tell you that Europe is not in crisis. It is in a deep crisis."
PHOTO: AP
That statement was echoed by French President Jacques Chirac.
"It's a bad result for Europe," he said after the meeting ended, adding, "Europe is in a serious crisis."
The major obstacle was a standoff between Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Chirac demanded that Britain give up part of the annual refund of billions of dollars a year that it has received from the EU for more than two decades.
Blair refused to consider any reduction in the refund unless there was a corresponding cut in agricultural subsidies paid by the EU. France receives about US$13 billion in annual farm subsidies, more than any other member.
The failure, which came a day after the leaders shelved the ratification of their first constitution in history, left many officials here predicting that the EU is likely to enter into a period of paralysis and self-doubt as member countries decide to what extent they must put national interests and domestic politics before common goals.
Summit meetings at the EU are usually staid affairs. But this time the leaders made no effort to conceal their rage.
"I hate to see grown men bickering at each other," Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said.
He called the debate among the leaders over money "pathetic and embarrassing."
Chirac accused Britain of refusing to compromise and of damaging the integration of the bloc's 10 new members last year by selfishly refusing to agree to earmark money from the new budget to them.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder stood behind Chirac. He attributed the impasse to "the stubbornness" of Britain and the Netherlands, and in particular he accused Britain of "not helping the new countries."
The Dutch prime minister expressed disappointment that Schroeder did not support him.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for