HUMPHRYS:                     William Hague is taking 
a tough line on Britain's relationship with Europe.  He wants us to draw 
a line in the sand, to say there will be no more powers handed over to 
Brussels.  Some of his party are worried about what that will do to our 
position in the European Union.  But, and here's his real problem, others 
want him to go even further.  They say too much power has been handed over 
already and they want it back.  Jonathan Beale has been looking at how 
the battle might end.

JONATHAN BEALE:            Brussels  is getting ready to welcome 
 new countries to the European Union.  But before they can take their places 
at the table, changes will have to be made.  Some Conservatives accept 
that means more power being handed over to Brussels. Others want to take 
power back. The Tory Leadership is trying to keep both sides happy to avoid 
splits over Europe  being on display again.
 
ROGER HELMER MEP:            We want to be clear that there 
are areas of policy currently which are EU competencies that in future 
under a Conservative government should be brought back as clearly British 
national competencies.
 
LORD BRITTEN:                Well a lot of people talk 
about a lot of nonsense and you can't stop them talking about it, but it 
doesn't mean its going to happen.

BEALE:                    William Hague wants a more 
flexible Europe before it welcomes new member states. He  wants Britain 
to have the right to reject any further Brussels interference. His is a 
vision of being able to pick and choose any future EU legislation. It's 
Europe a la carte: There are currently fifteen countries in the  Union, 
but eastern Europe is queuing to join. Conservatives are worried that in 
a  larger EU  Britain's right to veto legislation could be diminished. 
The Tories  fear it would leave Britain unable to prevent more  powers 
of the national parliament being handed over to Brussels. The transfer 
 has already started. In previous treaties Brussels has  been given powers 
to create  a SINGLE MARKET, a SINGLE CURRENCY  and a SOCIAL CHAPTER to 
protect workers' rights. The Commission is now ready to look at the next 
course: Beefing up the  European Foreign and Security policy and  EU Justice 
and Immigration controls It could also press for a European Charter of 
Rights. Eventually the Commission would like to get round to creating a 
European Army and to gain  some influence over Taxation.  The Hague menu 
would add flexibility.  
 
FRANCIS MAUDE:                We take the view that the 
European Union's reached a fork in the road - with enlargement much overdue 
it's got to do one of  two things. It will either have to intensify the 
integration towards full political union or it's got to go down the route 
of flexibility, of having a European Union where the one size fits all 
dogma, of uniformity that's been really the dominant theory of the European 
Union since its inception. We recognise that that's out of date. A modern 
Europe in a modern world needs to be more flexible. 
 
BEALE:                    The party's pro- Europeans 
are worried. Candidate countries could  be left in the cold if there isn't 
 a new treaty. But William Hague says a Tory Government would be willing 
to hold up the negotiations if he didn't get what he  wanted: 
   
BRITTAN:                    It would be a tragedy 
for the Conservative party as the champion of enlargement, and greatly 
respected and admired in east and central Europe were to lose all that 
by seeming to stand in the way of the one change which would certainly 
be a modest one which is needed to achieve enlargement, which everybody 
agrees is needed.

BEALE:                    But the Conservatives want 
Britain to set its own agenda.  It, and any other country could refuse 
to sign up to any future EU legislation. Countries such as Germany France, 
Holland Belgium and Luxembourg could still pursue further integration. 
But they couldn't force  Britain to join their party.  

BRITTAN:                    It would mean that there 
was a forward looking group and we were left behind and we would have much 
less influence.  Conservatives, some Conservatives argue in favour of it 
because they think it's a way of picking and choosing and cherry picking 
and doing what we want and not doing what we don't want. Well, that can't 
work in the European Union and it wouldn't be agreed. 

BEALE:                    Some Tory Euro- sceptics 
wouldn't swallow it either. They fear a two tier Europe would only speed 
up integration for some. Even if Britain opted out at the start  - as with 
 the social chapter  - it could  always get pulled in later.  

BILL CASH:                    That means a hard core 
two tier Europe of the kind that was ruled out by the Conservative Party 
when in power in 1996. Now I happen to be dead against the idea of a hard 
core two tier Europe because actually it is conceding the principle of 
a federal Europe  

BEALE:                    But the policy may brighten 
up Tory fortunes back home by appealing to an electorate that's showing 
sings of disillusionment with the EU.  In  last May's Euro elections  the 
 slogan  "In Europe, not run by Europe"  struck a chord - at least with 
some of those who bothered to vote. The party is being urged to go further 
still.  Many Tories believe there's already been too much  influence from 
Europe.  They want to turn back the clock and renegotiate past  EU rules 
and regulations which they say have been bad for Britain. In essence they 
 want a menu  that's decided by Westminster not Brussels. Tory Euro sceptics 
have already prepared a list of ingredients they want taken out of the 
EU's hands. The leadership itself is already committed to trying to take 
control of fishing rights,  but many within the party want more Some would 
 like to renegotiate the Common Agricultural Policy. Getting rid of European 
health and safety rules such as the working time directive and  new workers 
rights in the Social chapter are high on the list of demands. 
     
DAVID DAVIES MP:            I cannot conceive of a Conservative 
Government in the future leaving in place the social chapter, not just 
because of its Labour law overtones  but because it means the rest of Europe 
can overrule us and tell us what laws we should have in that area and there 
are others too.

JOHN REDWOOD MP:            Is it enough merely to say we're 
going to renegotiate fishing or should we also  say that the Social Chapter 
- which all Conservative members of parliament voted against - should no 
longer apply in Britain under a Conservative government? If so I think 
that will require a re-negotiation as well. So I think near the election 
William Hague has got to put before the British people what his re-negotiation 
would amount to. How much flexibility he wants on things that have already 
happened.
 
BEALE:                    The issue of re-negotiation 
is still being considered by the shadow cabinet.  An internal party discussion 
paper  penned by Archie Norman warns:  "We should as far as possible avoid 
the language of re-negotiation..." It goes on to say that : "Some element 
of re-negotiation in the manifesto is unavoidable. It is  a question of 
how it is described" 

MAUDE:                    It has a connotation for 
people at both extremes of the argument - there may be some for all I know 
for whom re-negotiation is code for getting out of the European union. 


HELMER:                    We in the party seem to 
be very coy about the word re-negotiation, but it seems to me that if we 
are committed to going back to areas like fisheries and bringing back national 
control of fisheries then whether you like it or not that is re-negotiation. 
That's what we have to do, that's what the British people want and that 
is what I hope very much will be in large letters in the Conservative General 
Election manifesto. 

BEALE:                    But the language has  so 
far been limited to future flexibility. Even that would still need the 
approval of all member states. But rewriting past treaties  may prove to 
be as difficult as changing the favourite dish of a long established restaurant. 



BEALE:                    Though as a last resort 
 other countries could  always be reminded of who helps pay the bill   
        

REDWOOD:                    We make a very big contribution 
to the budget. I'm sure they wouldn't want to jeopardise that kind of relationship 
in any way. We can remind as were paying for a lot of the show maybe we 
should have a bit more influence over the show. 

BEALE:                    Such suggestions may be 
 simply unpalatable. The former shadow foreign secretary is calling for 
a more cautious approach. He says they  should limit its demands.
 
JOHN MAPLES MP:                I think if we said we wanted 
to go back and  renegotiate bits of the past I think we'd find that impossible 
to achieve in negotiation. Forward flexibility may well be something that 
we can achieve and I believe we can. 

BEALE:                    Back in Brussels as the 
EU government's prepare to sign  the new treaty even such modest changes 
may never reach the table. Out of office the Tories are effectively out 
of the discussions.  Euro-sceptics warn if the party doesn't commit itself 
to re-negotiation, more people will be wanting out altogether:  
 
CASH:                        What I'm saying is 
that there is an increasing call for withdrawal from certain quarters in 
the United Kingdom, and that that will simply be increased if in fact we 
don't have a clear blue light policy of re- negotiation which does stand 
up which is not withdrawal,  which is in favour of the single market , 
but which at the same time upholds the right of the British people to govern 
themselves.
 
HELMER:                    The other member states 
will realise that if in the long term the British people don't get what 
they want out of Europe, then indeed the question of withdrawal will arise 
whether we like it or not. So that will be lurking in the background of 
the negotiations.   

BEALE:                    The Conservative leadership 
still hopes that it's created a recipe that can unite the party and attract 
the voters too. But  pro-Europeans are already concerned that re-negotiation 
will one day appear on the menu. As for the Euro-sceptics they are  already 
asking for more.