Blair achieves little in his negotiations

9.26.00pm GMT Sun 18th Dec 2005

Tony Blair has negotiated an agreement over the EU budget, which appears to have achieved very little apart from Britain giving up £7billion of their rebate in return for a future discussion on CAP (Common Agricultural Policy). This is of course after Blair promised not to give up any of the rebate without reform of CAP!

The EU now has a budget worth €862bn for 2007-13, or 1.04% of Europe's total GDP. The total cost to Britain over the seven year period will be €62bn (£40bn) - a 63% net increase. In the final day of negotiations Blair gave away an extra £1billion of the rebate (a year), without it would appear receiving anything in return.

Now I have written before that I am quite willing to end the UK's rebate but only if CAP was scrapped so am disappointed by this result and lay the blame firmly with Blair by saying one thing and then doing another showing his weakness. This I believe directly led to the additional £1billion being negotiated away.