Man with a Mission
Source: Newsweek
June 20^th 2005 (Adapted)

At the European Union summit in Brussels this week, Chirac and Blair will square off as combatants for the future of Europe. The battle will begin with a debate over the new EU budget - specifically the contentious chèque anglais. Britain is determined to protect its EU budget rebate, negotiated by Margaret Thatcher 21 years ago and now worth 3.1 billion pounds annually. Enough is enough, said Chirac last week. "The time has come for our English friends to understand that they have to make a gesture of solidarity for Europe." Forget it, Blair snapped back, pointing to huge agricultural subsidies for French farmers that offset Paris's contributions to the EU. "Without the rebate," he added, the British contribution "would have been 15 times as much as France. That is our gesture."

The budget spat masks a deeper divide. As the British see it, last month's double no has killed the European constitution, at least for now. It's time for Europe to pause, to reflect and reform in order to win back European hearts and minds.