France : No EU expansion
French president Nicolas Sarkozy warned that further EU expansion was impossible without ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty is meant to streamline EU operations, and give the EU a bigger, more united, voice on the world stage. Irish voters rejected the treaty, with a large percentage admitting they do not know what exactly the treaty consists of. Ireland is the only EU country holding a referendum. 18 nations have so far ratified the Lisbon Treaty. The treaty requires unanimous support by all EU members. President Sarkozy will be travelling to Ireland during the French presidency of the European Union next month.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said the European Union will not be able to expand further without ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.
An EU summit in Brussels has exposed divisions over how to proceed with the reform treaty - which was rejected by Irish voters in a referendum last week.
A decision on what to do next is expected to be postponed until October.
The leaders are now expected to discuss
Zimbabwe. A draft statement threatens increasing EU sanctions on the country.
Wrong signal
Mr Sarkozy’s comments about EU expansion came after clear divisions emerged over the future of the treaty and the meeting decided that the Irish should report back in October on possible ways out of the impasse.
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Administrator @ June 20, 2008