Against all expectations, it struck a morally advantageous posture by offering to surrender some part of its budget rebate, but only if the rest of the European Union (i.e. France, in particular) would agree to fundamental reforms of EU farm policy. It took some time before the British came to understand that since President Jacques Chirac is a beleaguered lame-duck President, who will remain in office but not in power until 2007, he is in no position to agree to any such bargain.
开始时，这似乎是英国政府的既定战术。出乎所有人的预料，英国提出可以放弃部分财政优惠，从而在道义上赢得了主动。但兑现承诺的条件是欧盟其它国家（比如法国）同意对欧盟农业政策进行根本的改革。英国花了很长时间才明白：希拉克是个倍受秸难的软弱总统，任期持续到2007年但却掌握不了实权，他没有能力接受这样的讨价还价。