Ebbing of seasonal goodwill uncovers the wreckage of Europe’s old conflicts

Major analysis feature. Pedro Solbes, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs, gave his 19 Commission colleagues an envelope on 6 January 2004 containing legal advice alleging that the French Finance Minister, Francis Mer, and his Finance Ministry colleagues had acted illegally in suspending the Stability and Growth Pact in November 2003. Mr Solbes wants the European Court of Justice to deliver a verdict on the legal status of the Stability Pact. The issue goes beyond the actual question raised by the Commission to a bigger one: the balance of power between the Member States and the European Commission