Bonn exposed as EU’s loudest dissenting voice

Date: 15/10/1998

By Ole Ryborg

ALTHOUGH German Chancellor Helmut Kohl will be remembered as the most ardent of pro-Europeans, his government had the dubious honour of being the member state outvoted most often in the Council of Ministers.

An investigation by European Voice has revealed that since January 1995 - the date when new members were last admitted into the EU - Bonn has been in the 'no' camp more often than any other member state when formal votes on policy proposals were taken.

The UK and Italy are in second and third place, followed by Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark. At the other end of spectrum come Finland and Luxembourg, with the lowest number of 'no' votes recorded.

The figures suggest that, contrary to the suspicions voiced by many within EU circles, the current British Labour government is genuinely more pro-European than its predecessor, although the survey covers the last years of John Major's Conservative government as well as Tony Blair's first 15 months in office.

A similar study conducted by European Voice in October 1995 covering the period from 1993 to 1995 found that the UK was the country which voted against EU proposals most often. This distinction which has now passed decisively to Germany.

The survey's findings are not conclusive, given that the Council's voting records do not include information about those occasions when the country holding the EU presidency concluded that there was a qualified majority in favour of proposal but did not call for a formal vote.

But experts say the figures do provide a clear indication of where the fault lines lie within the Council.

They say that Bonn's negative record reflects the difficulties involved in coordinating national ministries' and the German Länder's approach to EU policy issues, which meant that ministers and civil servants often arrived at the negotiating table in Brussels without a clear position on the issues to be discussed.

Among the issues on which Bonn has stood firm in opposing a deal are initiatives relating to the collection of tourism and customs tariff statistics, milk production, aquaculture and, not surprisingly given the strength of public feeling on the issue in Germany, a number of proposals connected to the BSE crisis.

Experts say one of the reasons why countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark also appear high up the league table of dissenters is that domestic politics often force these member states to register a formal 'no' vote when their demands are not met in negotiations on sensitive issues.

Voting patterns January 1995-July 1998

Analysis of the voting records of the EU Member States in the Council, January 1995-July 1998.