Tony Blair, British Prime Minister, electrified the world of European politics by telling the European Parliament that he was a “passionate pro-European”. This was a message for which Britain’s European friends had long been hoping, and for which they had waited in vain since Blair’s election in 1997.
6个月前谈判开始时，恰逢英国接任欧洲理事会主席职务。英国首相托尼·布莱尔向欧洲议会宣布自己是“充满热情的欧洲支持者”，他的这一表态轰动了整个欧洲政界。英国的欧洲朋友们早就期待这样的表态，自从布莱尔1997年当选后他们就毫无结果地苦苦等候。当然，过去8年布莱尔从未在英伦诸岛表达过这样的观点。