Rinse That Wax Out

Europe’s leaders still can’t hear properly.

EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso: Urged member states to take no steps by themselves which could kill off the charter before a scheduled June 16-17 summit in Brussels. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of European Council "We want the other member states to have the opportunity to tackle the same debate. We feel the ratification process should continue," German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Those 11 member states who had yet to finish the ratification process had "the right and obligation" to continue with it. Belgian Finance Minister Didier Reynders The Dutch "No" was a setback to EU integration but "not a very important drama for the European economy." French President Jacques Chirac "It is advisable to take the necessary time to analyze the consequences for the union of the votes in France and the Netherlands. This reflection should begin during the European Council of June 16 and 17," Hans-Gert Poettering Chairman of the EPP-ED Group "The "No" of two EU countries was evidently very disappointing, he said, but they could not be allowed to speak for all the other 23 members of the Union. " Finland's Paavo Lipponen, leader of the Finnish social democrats "The common foreign and security policy of the EU must not fall victim to referendum malaise. We must rescue the CFSP and continue strengthening it.

Perhaps they should wash the wax out of their ears, or maybe its just that politicians love their own voices so much they forget to listen to anyone else.