In The Press
Links that can be mutually supportive (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
19 December 2006
From Mr Zaki Cooper Sir, The concern in the City over aspects of financial services regulation should not disguise a continuing strong interest in and support for the European Union within the financial and business community ("How the Square Mile fell out of love with Brussels", December 12). It cannot have escaped anyone's attention that …
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Turning point on Europe as moderates find a voice (Article in the Evening Standard)
12 December 2006
BRITONS today are as likely to have friends in Alicante as Aldershot, and to marry the girl behind the checkout at Carrefour as at Tesco. It is, says bmi British Midland chairman Sir Michael Bishop, "one of the fundamental paradoxes that sit at the heart of the European question as a society, we lack trust …
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A powerful antidote to euroscepticism (Article in The Independent)
8 December 2006
British business seems to have turned almost universally eurosceptic in recent years, so the pamphlet published yesterday by Business for New Europe - "A Europe We Can Do Business With" - makes a refreshing antidote to the ill-informed prejudice that has come to characterise so much of what is said and written in this country …
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A diluted services directive will still be crucial (Op-Ed in The Financial Times)
15 November 2006
By Stuart Popham In the battle for the soul of Europe, the services directive, which aims to increase competition in the services sector, has been playing a leading role. It has aroused passions on Europe's boulevards in a way that few European Union proposals in recent years have. It is estimated that 50,000 people demonstrated …
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East Europe offers new opportunities (Letter to the Editor of The Guardian)
25 October 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd and others We are excited by the prospect of Bulgaria and Romania joining the EU on January 1 (Report, October 21). It is a historic landmark not only for these countries, but also for the EU, marking another step on the road to the reunification of east and west Europe. Enlargement …
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We should be welcoming these new immigrants (Op-Ed in The Independent)
25 October 2006
By Mr Roland Rudd The decision to restrict access to Bulgarians and Romanians is a backward step According to the latest statistics, there are over 675,000 Brits in Spain. The ex-pat community in Spain is so well established that it has its own characteristics and structure. While there has been a generally positive reaction to …
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Strong evidence UK business supports single market (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
18 October 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir, In contrast to your editorial "Boardrooms go cold on the single market" (October 17), there is strong evidence to suggest that UK business is solidly supportive of the European Union and its jewel in the crown, the single market. Much of the business community appreciates the benefits that being part …
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We benefit hugely from our membership of the EU (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
18 October 2006
From Mr Geoff Hoon MP Sir, I was disappointed to read of the concerns of some business people in relation to the pace of reform in the European Union ("Boardroom sentiment turns against Brussels as frustrations grow", October 16). UK businesses benefit hugely from our membership of the EU and the single market. UK trade …
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UK is now top dog in Brussels (Article in the Daily Telegraph)
18 September 2006
Britain has become one of the most influential forces in the administration of the European Union, according to a report to be published today by a group of leading businessmen. The group claims the UK has taken a leading role in shaping the EU, and the results can be seen in the increased use of …
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Workers at the gates (Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal)
4 September 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd LONDON -- Some members of the British media are up to their usual tricks. The prospect of further immigration to the U.K. once Bulgaria and Romania enter the European Union, as soon as next year, has prompted the customary scare mongering. Headlines about crime, corruption and drugs linked to immigrants have …
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Comment: Why business should stand up for immigration (in The Independent)
30 August 2006
By Roland Rudd These workers are young, motivated and economically active. Few of them claim welfare benefits The recent announcement by the Government of a Commission on Integration and Cohesion was timely. While its primary purpose is to address tensions between ethnic groups, it underlines how much more needs to be done to convince people …
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The business case for more migrants (Article in the Evening Standard)
29 August 2006
BUSINESS for a New Europe, which seeks to promote Britain's positive engagement with the European Union, has entered the politically-charged arena of EU expansion. It has issued a statement robustly supporting the admission of workers from Bulgaria and Romania, which join the EU next year. The intervention sharpens the debate already raging over levels of …
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Open doors for new migrants, say bosses (Article in The Evening Standard)
29 August 2006
A SCORE of Britain's top business leaders are backing a campaign to allow unlimited immigration from Romania and Bulgaria when the two nations join the European Union. They have put their names to a campaign headed by pressure group Business for New Europe (BNE), which argues that hundreds of thousands of migrants from Poland and …
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Match this model (Letter in the New Statesman)
3 July 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Your leader on Europe was timely (26 June). While it is fashionable to talk about growth rates and the economic potential of Asia, Europe is too often overlooked. It is easy to forget that the EU is the world's largest trading bloc, accounting for 40 per cent of the global total, …
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Reform in Europe can wait a bit longer (Op-Ed in The Financial Times)
14 June 2006
By Sir Stephen Wall Millions who watched the European constitutional treaty expire on the barricades of Paris a year ago are in for a surprise. This week, after a year's pause for reflection, the European Union's leaders will keep the remains on life support. Once next year's French and Dutch elections are over, the EU, …
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Not designed for an ever expanding Union (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
9 June 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir, Neil O'Brien (Letters, June 5) is wrong to assert that the route forward suggested by Business for New Europe is an attempt to sidestep the No votes in France and the Netherlands. We oppose the idea of adopting the constitution, and instead advocate a continued period of reflection, which ultimately …
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Anglo-German relations (Letter to the Editor of The Guardian)
6 June 2006
From Mr Zaki Cooper While we all hope that our footballers will be winning matches in Germany, it is extremely important that our politicians continue to win friends there (Brown links up with Merkel, June 3). This is particularly true given the fact that Germany will take over the presidency of the EU and G8 …
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Europe needs us (Letter in the New Statesman)
5 June 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Denis MacShane is right to warn of the dangers of the government overlooking Europe (Observations, 22 May). The hiatus in plans for a constitution and the unlikely prospect of Britain joining the euro have provided an opportunity for the government to engage, unencumbered by short-term political considerations. With France and Germany …
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The constitution is dead, but the EU moves on (Op-Ed in The Independent)
1 June 2006
The constitution is dead, but the EU moves on. We have set up a group to articulate pro-European business sentiment in Britain. By Philip Hampton and Bryan Sanderson A year ago today, the Constitutional Treaty was defeated in the Netherlands, having been defeated three days before in France. British pro-Europeans, who had prepared for a …
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Business must back a reforming Europe (Op-Ed in The Financial Times)
29 May 2006
By Michael Rake and Sir Martin Sorrell A year ago the pro-European movement was at its lowest ebb. The European Union's constitutional treaty was voted down in France on May 29 by 55 per cent to 45 per cent. Three days later the people of the Netherlands followed suit. This was particularly galling for pro-Europeans …
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Good for us (Letter to the Editor of The Sunday Times)
21 May 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd The influx of workers from the new European Union member states since 2004 has benefited not only the economies of the incoming members but also boosted economic growth in the UK. A report from the European Commission earlier this year noted that the member states to have fully opened their labour …
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Celebrate Europe Day? (Op-Ed in The Guardian Online)
11 May 2006
By Mr Roland Rudd The appointment of Geoff Hoon as the new Europe minister offers fresh impetus to refocus the UK's role in Europe. Since Labour came to power in 1997, we have had a succession of ministers in charge of European affairs. Some were appointed with referendums on the single currency or the European …
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Business needs Britain to be at the heart of Europe (Letter to the Editor of The Guardian)
11 May 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd The fact that Europe Day passed almost unnoticed (Leader, May 10) does indeed say a lot about the UK's ambivalent relationship with Europe. However, there is a large degree of interest from the business community, which appreciates the role being played by the European commission in expanding and promoting competitive markets …
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New EU citizens working in Britain (Letter to the Editor of The Independent)
1 May 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir: The second anniversary of the accession of 10 new countries into the European Union falls on 1 May. The arrival of the counties of Eastern and Central Europe (plus Cyprus and Malta) precipitated the influx of 100 million citizens into the Union. The legitimate concerns that arise from the flow of …
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EU offers new hope (Letter to the Editor of The Guardian)
1 May 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Today is the second anniversary of the accession of 10 new countries to the European Union. Just two decades previously, during the cold war, the world was in the midst of a showdown between communism and western liberal democracy. But the accession of the new countries in 2004, most of which …
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The Indispensable EU (Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal)
30 March 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd The March 27 state of the union column by Graham Watson and Karin Riis-Jorgensen (waking up to Globalisation) was timely and germane. Whether people like it or not, globalisation is the dominant paradigm of our age and action must be taken to meet its challenges. Many of the global issues that …
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Benefiting Britain in the European Union (Letter to the Editor of The Times)
29 March 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir, Clearly more must be done by the political classes to explain and promote the benefits of the UK’s membership of the EU (letter, Mar 28). However, this is not the exclusive preserve of politicians, and there is a role for business leaders, as wealth creators, to play, too. This week …
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Building on the UK’s active engagement in Europe (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
27 March 2006
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir, The continuing rows over protectionism, highlighted at the European Council meeting in Brussels last week, offer several instructive lessons. The first is the importance and relevance of the European Union, a point often glossed over by those who refuse to see anything positive in pan-European co-operation. It is through the …
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New lobby group’s poll finds business pro-EU (article in The Financial Times)
27 March 2006
A pro-Europe business lobby group launches itself today by publishing a poll that suggests a clear majority of British corporate leaders believe it in their businesses' interests for the UK to stay in the European Union. The lobby group, Business for New Europe, was formed after the demise of the old pro-Europe lobby, Britain in …
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