EU governments tend to keep a firm grip on foreign policy, paying lip service to the ideal of a "single EU voice" internationally.
A single EU voice would run into the very real problem of Britain's absence from the euro, and get the Europhobes in the UK foaming at the mouth while, across the Channel, Germany and France would each have to agree to relinquish sovereignty.
Major shortcomings were also found in Romania's judiciary and the EU voiced concern about conflicts of interest among government officials.
(Additional reporting by Evrim Ergin, Can Sezer and Murad Sezer in Istanbul, Parisa Hafezi in Ankara, Justyna Pawlak in Brussels; Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Jon Hemming).
Paradoxically, an EU referendum has been made more likely because pro-EU voices have long wanted to avoid the debate.
Pro-EU voices are told that arguing to stay in is premature.
The pro-EU voices have lost the argument against a referendum because their main case is that the public isn't sufficiently informed.
He also claimed sterling would flourish if Britain left the EU and criticised the pro-EU voices who once wanted to join the euro, saying they were "wrong then, wrong now".
From day one in Brussels, Hannan also sought to bring the Tories out of their moderate grouping, the European People's party, or EPP, and to ally them with more critical, anti-EU voices in the European parliament.
Worse still, the only reliably pro-EU voices in the media the Guardian, the Independent, the Mirror and the BBC are those which have worked hardest to destroy trust in the prime minister over the war.The only way Mr Blair can hope to win a referendum on the constitution is by convincing enough people that "No" is, in effect, a vote to leave the EU.
Among those leaving government or accepting reduced responsibilities were foreign secretary William Hague, education secretary Michael Gove, and Ken Clarke, a minister without portfolio who had long been the most consistent pro-EU voice within the Conservative front bench.
