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The E.U.’s rule of law.

CN150excerptBy DANIEL HANNAN [New Criterion] — The rule of law is regularly set aside when it stands in the way of what Brussels élites want. To cite only the most recent example, the eurozone bailouts were patently illegal. Article 125 of the E.U. Treaty is unequivocal:

The Union shall not be liable for, or assume the commitments of, central governments, regional, local, or other public authorities, other bodies governed by public law, or public undertakings of any Member State.

This clause was no mere technicality. It was on the basis of its promise that the Germans agreed to join the euro in the first place. As Angela Merkel put it: “We have a Treaty under which there is no possibility of paying to bail out states.”

Yet, as soon as it became clear that the euro wouldn’t survive without cash transfusions, the dots and commas of the treaties were set aside. Christine Lagarde, then the French finance minister and now the Director of the IMF, boasted about what had happened: “We violated all the rules because we wanted to close ranks and really rescue the eurozone. The Treaty of Lisbon was very straightforward. No bailouts.”

To British eyes, the whole process seemed bizarre. Rules had been drawn up in the clearest language that lawyers could devise. Yet, the moment they became inconvenient, they were ignored…


Continued at The New Criterion | More Chronicle & Notices.

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