Lisbon Treaty made to avoid referendum, says Giscard

The architect of the rejected European constitution, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, has qualified the recently agreed changes to the document as "cosmetic" and designed to avoid the EU's new reform treaty looking exactly like the EU constitution.

The architect of the rejected European constitution, Valery Giscard d'Estaing, has criticized ideas by Dutch politicians to hold a referendum on the EU's Reform Treaty. He also deplored some of the textual changes that make his old project more low-profile.

The European Union overnight agreed the precise text of its new 'Lisbon Treaty' to be formally signed off on 13 December in Portugal's capital. The decision effectively closes a painful chapter of searching for a new set of EU rules to make the bloc better function.

The so-called Qatargate scandal has had little effect on the image of the European Parliament so far, officials said, although the survey did not specifically asked people about the scandal.

EUobserver interviewed Spanish MEP Jordi Cañas to discuss the situation of Europe's middle class, the dangerous political reaction if certain groups feel neglected, and the role that member states and the EU can play at the policy level.

The Spanish government has officially requested to postpone the presentation of its upcoming EU presidency priorities in the European Parliament's plenary chamber until September.