(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in five European countries are completely oblivious as to what a new European Union (EU) treaty entails, according to a poll by Harris Interactive published in the Financial Times. Over 60 per cent of respondents in Britain, Italy and Germany are not at all familiar with the newly proposed document, and more than half of those in Spain and France are also totally uninformed about it.

Between 27 per cent and 43 per cent of respondents in all five countries say they are only somewhat familiar with the document.

EU heads of state officially signed the European Constitution on Oct. 29, 2004. The project for a continental body of law was practically abandoned in 2005, after voters in France and the Netherlands rejected the proposed document in two plebiscites.

In June, the leaders of the 27 EU member nations reached an agreement in Germany to revise the proposed Constitution, create a new European Union Constitution Treaty (EUCT) before the end of this year, and achieve its ratification by mid-2009.

On Oct. 19, a final agreement was reached on the Lisbon Treaty and Charter of Fundamental Rights. The Lisbon Treaty provisions call for the creation of new posts, such as a foreign policy chief, and a High Representative who will answer to EU governments and serve as vice-president of the European Commission. The Charter will become legally binding in all EU member states except Britain, which negotiated an exemption.

The EU leaders would also choose a president of the European Council for a two and a half year renewable term. This will effectively eliminate the current six-month rotating presidency among member nations. The Lisbon Treaty also provides for the creation of a mutual defence clause, in case one of the member states is attacked.

If all countries ratify the treaty—whether through a referendum or a parliamentary vote—the body of law will become effective in January 2009. Ireland, due to its internal regulations, is the only country that must hold a nationwide vote on the Lisbon Treaty, while other governments can decide whether they want to do the same.

On Oct. 23, European Commission president Jose Manuel Durao Barroso declared: "The treaty will be signed on December 13 in Lisbon and, most significantly, at the Dos Jeronimos monastery where Portugal’s treaty of adhesion to the European Community was signed (in June 1985)."

Polling Data

Now for some questions on Europe. How familiar are you with the newly proposed EU reform treaty?

Source: Harris Interactive / Financial Times
Methodology: Online interviews with 5,604 adults in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, conducted from Oct. 3 to Oct. 15, 2007. Margin of error for individual countries is 3 per cent.

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