The warnings by the president of the European Commission, Mr Jacques Santer, that the British campaign of disruption against European Union business is proving counter productive are timely and appropriate. The question the British government has to face is whether their objective of securing relaxation of the ban on world wide exports of British beef is likely to be furthered by continuing the disruption. Many commissioners at their meeting on Wednesday were furious that it was still continuing indeed some governments voted against Britain at the Council of Ministers on Monday precisely because of the belligerent British stance. Indications from British ministers yesterday that they hope to have the matter settled in the next few days or weeks are a welcome indication that they are rethinking their attitudes.
The extraordinarily inept and tardy fashion in which the issue has been managed by Britain has reinforced other member states' suspicions. There seems to be little realisation by British ministers of the profound effects the crisis is having on consumer confidence and agricultural sectors throughout the EU. The collapse of demand for beef any beef, not only the British product has severely affected price levels paid to farmers in most states, Ireland included.
Resolving the crisis music involve tackling the most important ban on beef that by the consumers. Already, the cost of compensating farmers for the crisis has wiped out savings made on the MacSharry reforms, which Mr Santer hoped to use to stimulate employment. He has been willing to lend support to the British case by opposing those states most reluctant to relax the ban on by products, notably the Germans. There is still room for compromise on a framework for lifting the ban on British exports once a comprehensive British eradication strategy has been agreed.
Most of Britain's partners remain incredulous about its tactics, given the financial solidarity already shown and the shared understanding of the need to restore public confidence in beef. It was, after all, British malpractice and health warnings that sparked off the crisis in the first place. The numbers of people affected by the new variant of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease continues to climb in Britain.
It is significant that several senior former British ministers have taken up Mr Santer's warnings that its government's tactics could backfire. Mr Douglas Hurd said the British strategy is preventing Britain's wider ideas on the future of the EU from being taken seriously on the continent. They are increasingly assumed to be part of a campaign not to reform but to destroy the Union, he said. Former British commissioners and leading diplomats say the policy can lead only to further isolation of their country on issues where it needs support.