In The Press
Thatcher would have backed the Treaty (in Daily Telegraph)
18 December 2007
Al Gore famously remarked that when it came to a pivotal decision, he often applied the “What would Jesus do?” test. It seems that some modern day politicians use a similar mental filter, this time though it’s “what would Maggie do?”. Adulation for Baroness Thatcher may be confined to the Conservative party, but her shadow …
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Treaty charts the course for Europe (in The Financial Times)
14 December 2007
Sir: We write in support of the EU Reform Treaty, and believe that the UK's best interest lies in a fully committed membership of the EU. The treaty is a sensible response to the EU's enlargement, which has increased membership to 27 members. The enlargements of 2004 and 2007, encompassing the former communist countries of …
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EU would be criticised if it did not make these reforms (letter in The Financial Times)
13 December 2007
Sir, David Lascelles' claim (December 10) that the European Union reform treaty will jeopardise the success of the City is far-fetched. The proposed treaty does not change anything directly in economic policy. It makes a series of pragmatic reforms to the EU's institutions. There is no doubt that if the EU did not make these …
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Business for New Europe, a lobby group supporting the UK’s active engagement in… (BBC Online)
13 December 2007
Business for New Europe, a lobby group supporting the UK's active engagement in a free-market EU BBC Online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7139265.stm The treaty is a logical response to the expansion of the European Union designed to make an EU of 27 countries work more effectively. We should remember that Britain was and is in the forefront of …
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Business must join climate fight (in The Guardian)
3 December 2007
As the Bali talks begins today, it is clear that business and government must work together to tackle climate change. There is a growing realisation that economic growth must go hand in hand with tacking climate change. No responsible business can hide from the enormous challenge presented by global warming. At times self-regulation will be …
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Services in the EU (in the Daily Telegraph)
21 November 2007
Sir - The depiction by the Foreign Secretary of the EU as an outward-looking regional power rather than a superstate is a compelling one (report, November 15).The single market has been the jewel in the crown of the European Union. By facilitating the free movement of goods, services, capital and labour, it has created new …
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Letter to The Financial Times
18 October 2007
As business leaders committed to the UK’s relationship with the EU, we favour the signature and subsequent ratification of the draft European Reform Treaty on the basis of the current text. The measures contained in the Treaty aimed at institutional reform are in the UK’s and the EU’s interests. Any large business or organization which …
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Commission must stand firm on its energy proposals (in The Financial Times)
20 September 2007
Sir, As members of Business for New Europe, we welcome the European Commission’s proposals on energy. It is proof of the European Union’s indispensability in meeting some of our global challenges, particularly on competitiveness and the environment. The Commission must continue to stay firm to its beliefs in order that those vested interests who would …
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Time to build closer links with Europe (in The Independent)
2 August 2007
Sir: Relations with the rest of Europe are certainly a big item on the in-tray of Gordon Brown (Steve Richards; "Forget George Bush and America - the big foreign policy challenge for Brown is Europe", 31 July). The fact that he has already signalled his willingness to work with our continental partners by meeting with …
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Letter to the Editor of the Daily Mail
31 July 2007
Much of the business community is supportive of the UK’s ties with Europe (EU treaty '96 per cent identical' to dropped constitution, 25 July 2007). A walk around the City of London or Canary Wharf bears testimony to the continental influence on the UK economy. Thousands of British business trade with the rest of Europe …
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Letter to the Editor of the Daily Telegraph
28 July 2007
Sir - Many parts of the business community are positive about Britain's relationship with Europe in general and the Reform Treaty in particular. The British business community benefits from trade, investment and labour market links with the rest of Europe. Many business leaders recognise that the Reform Treaty will draw a necessary line under the …
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Withdrawing from the EU would be bad for businesses (in the Daily Telegraph)
28 July 2007
Sir - The challenge for Britain is how to make the most of our EU membership. Withdrawing from EU membership would not only be inimical to the national interest, but it would also be met with bewilderment from other member states as well as America.Retreating from the European scene at a time when the EU …
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Big step forward for world’s largest single market (in The Financial Times)
26 July 2007
From Lord Brittan of Spennithorne and others. Sir, The new treaty is good news for business and the European Union. It is a major step forward for the world's largest and most globally respected single market. That 27 member states were able to reach an agreement on an amending treaty was positive for the UK …
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Why European Reform Will Boost British Business (in the Daily Mail)
25 June 2007
The relentless march of the Chinese and Indian economies is one of the most exciting stories of today. This is quite understandable but what is often overlooked is how important the European market is to the UK. Trade with China and India are just a fiftieth of our trade with the EU. Indeed last year …
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Letter to the Editor of The Guardian
22 June 2007
It may be the case that the British public has little interest in the European summit and little understanding of the constitutional treaty and associated issues. While institutional reform is undoubtedly important for the effectiveness of the EU, it is bound to be a turn-off for the public at large. In a Mori poll in …
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EU treaty is no federal beast (Letter to the Editor of The Times)
22 June 2007
Sir, Your leading article (“Unconstitutional”, June 20) falls into the perennial trap of viewing the EU negotiations in terms of “losing power”. However, the basis of co-operation with our European partners is to produce effective international action in areas such as climate change, energy security, world trade and counter-terrorism. Many of the changes suggested in …
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Treaty Time; British and EU interests… (Letter to the Editor of the Progress)
21 June 2007
Treaty Time; British and EU interests demand an agreement is reached this week The current debate over the EU Amending Treaty has brought the issue of Europe back to the centre of the political agenda. Since mid-2005, when the Constitutional Treaty was voted down in France and the Netherlands, the “Europe question” has been a …
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UK needs calm and pragmatism at the negotiating table (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
21 June 2007
Sir, As business leaders committed to the UK's relationship with the rest of Europe, we view the upcoming European Council meeting as an opportunity to reform the EU. While the UK debate has been dominated by speculation about a referendum, we should be wary of becoming obsessed with the means of ratification, at the expense …
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In Defense of a New EU Treaty (Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal)
20 June 2007
Dropping the EU treaty, as Daniel Schwammenthal argues ("The Constitution Con," June 18), may appeal to both Europhiles and Euroskeptics. Some EU supporters would like to see it focus on delivery and policy outcomes, while many skeptics are allergic to anything involving European cooperation. However, with 18 member states having already ratified the defunct Constitutional …
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Europe needs a deal to make it work effectively (Letter to the Editor of The Independent)
20 June 2007
Europe needs a deal to make it work effectively; nothing is to be gained by calling for a referendum or ruling one out in advance Tony Blair will arrive in Brussels on Thursday evening with a sense of relief at his last European Council. This will be mixed with some nostalgia along with a cocktail …
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Surely we don’t want to be run by Malta (Letter to the Editor of The Telegraph)
12 June 2007
If you want an analogy that illustrates one particularly odd element of the EU, consider what it would be like to have a rotating editorship of The Daily Telegraph. It would change every six months, to allow all the paper's journalists a shot at the top job. And while we are playing at equality, let's …
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A streamlined EU must keep British labour law flexible (Letter to the Editor of the Financial Times)
18 May 2007
From Guy Dawson and others Sir, Angela Merkel has already shown her skills as a European leader in reaching an agreement on climate change targets at the European Council in March. Now these skills will be put to an even firmer test with the negotiations over a potential European treaty to replace the constitution. From …
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Bienvenue, Mr Sarkozy
8 May 2007
Sir, given our commitment to the UK playing a positive and constructive role in Europe, we write to welcome the election of Nicolas Sarkozy as the new president of France (report, May 7). We believe that it heralds an opportunity to galvanise Franco-British relations, and to provide firm leadership for Europe. In the course of …
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Rebutting a Looser Relationship with the EU
8 May 2007
It is clear from the opinion poll cited by Ruth Lea that 71 per cent of Britons do not wish to leave the EU (Comment, April 29). This is a similar proportion to the number of businesses that continue to back our membership.Our involvement in the EU has helped to create the most liberal Commission …
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EU: a necessity for the people of Europe (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
24 March 2007
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir, The key to the European Union's future is not that its citizens love it but that they come to appreciate its usefulness. As your editorial "L'Europe tragique et magnifique - at 50" (March 19) states, Europe has achieved more in its 50 years than any other comparable organisation, but its …
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Fifty years on – it’s EU v US (Letter to the Editor of The Times)
22 March 2007
From Mr Zaki Cooper Sir, Your editorial (“Looking her age,” March 20) claims that at the age of 50 the EU is “overweight and badly dressed”, but the UK’s role in this should not be overlooked. The EU’s current complexion has been largely influenced by UK thinking. Both the present Government and John Major’s have …
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EU agreement offers real hope for tackling climate change (Letter to the Editor of The Independent)
10 March 2007
From Mr Roland Rudd and others Sir: How fitting that in the EU's 50th year, the continent's leaders should reach a deal to address what is probably the great challenge of our times: climate change. The recent IPCC report showed conclusively that the planet is warming, and that man must take much of the blame. …
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Free movement of workers has been a boon to British (Letter to the Editor of The Financial Times)
22 February 2007
From Mr Roland Rudd Sir, The article about your poll on attitudes to migration focuses on the British public's reservations over immigration ("Hostile UK fails to see benefits of migration", February 19). In this debate, we have to remember that migration is a two-way street. The free movement of labour, as well as leading to …
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Business chiefs back Brussels against protectionism (article in The Financial Times)
2 January 2007
More than a third of top UK business leaders say they want to strengthen the power of Brussels to tackle protectionist barriers thrown up by some European Union member states, accordingto a survey of senior -executives. It found 38 per cent supported giving more powers to the European Commission to implement fully the single market, …
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