In The Press
EU must lead the world on climate change, The Daily Telegraph
5 August 2009
Martin Luther King would never have made the impact he did if he started his famous speech with the words: "I have a nightmare". It is hard to enthuse people about the need to combat climate change through fear. By Roland Rudd "If we don't act now, this is how terrible the world will be" …
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Europe must lead climate talks (in The Times)
9 July 2009
Attention now needs to focus on the serious challenges posed by climate change Sir, As the G8 and leading economies discuss climate change this week, we write to emphasise the importance of continued European leadership in this area. It is understandable that businesses have now focused their attention on the short-term economic situation. However, we …
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Key issues for G8 in L’Aquila (in The Guardian)
9 July 2009
The G8 may be an imperfect instrument but it is imperative that the mature developed countries take the lead on climate change (The wrong body, the wrong members, the wrong time, 8 July). The EU has already shown its commitment to addressing global warming, through setting tough targets and developing a carbon market incentivising firms …
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EU Membership Is a Boon For Britain (in Wall Street Journal)
1 July 2009
It is ironic that there is still so much ambivalence and hostility toward the European Union at a time when the direction of travel has been toward Britain ("The Dis-Uniting Kingdom," State of the Union, June 30). Since 2004, the EU has expanded to 27 member states and has made progress on strengthening the single …
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Viewpoints: EU crisis management (Article on the BBC News website)
2 June 2009
Politicians elected to the European Parliament this week will have real influence over the EU's budget and financial rules. Here two business leaders with contrasting views examine how the EU is coping with the economic crisis - and what could be done better. ROLAND RUDD, Chairman, Business for New Europe (BNE) If the financial crisis …
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Enlargement Benefits: The benefits to business of a bigger EU (in European Voice)
7 May 2009
By Roland Rudd It is not just new member states that have benefited from EU enlargement (Enlargement has energised Europe, Donald Tusk), but more established ones too. Indeed, some of the greatest benefits of the 2004 and 2007 enlargement have been experienced in countries like Britain. This is perhaps reward for the daring decision that …
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Further enlargement of EU club will energise continent (in the Financial Times)
1 May 2009
Sir, On the fifth anniversary of the entry of 10 new member states to the European Union, we write to emphasise the success of past EU enlargements and the need not to lose faith in the enlargement process.Expansion from a club of 12 in early 2004 to 27 member states today has transformed the EU, …
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Changing the regulations must never blunt the City’s competitiveness (in The Telegraph)
6 April 2009
By Roland Rudd When Zhou Enlai, the Chinese Prime Minister from 1949 to 1976, was asked to assess the effect of the French revolution, he famously responded: "It's too early to tell." By the same token, the London summit that took place this week, will have a variety of short-term consequences, but it's too soon …
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Letter to the Editor of the Evening Standard
2 April 2009
We should beware of exaggerating the differences of approach among G20 members. Anne McElvoy suggests France and Germany are at odds with Brown and Obama over a concerted fiscal stimulus, but it was Nicolas Sarkozy who co-ordinated the 200 billion European stimulus package last December, and Germany adopted two stimulus packages in January worth 4.3 …
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Obama Is Not Widening The Atlantic Ocean (Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal)
1 April 2009
While there may be differences between Germany and the U.S. on economic policy, these are not as significant as Malte Lehming apparently thinks ("Just Another Bush," State of the Union, March 31). President Barack Obama has indicated that the economic crisis demands a regulatory as well as a fiscal response. And on financial regulation, there …
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Letter to the Editor of The Times
30 March 2009
Sir, We write in a personal capacity in support of Europe playing a leading role at the London summit meeting on Thursday. The EU is home to the largest market in the world, worth an estimated $17.6 trillion. While responsible for just 7 per cent of the world’s population, it comprises 30 per cent of …
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Protectionism by G20 members (letter to the Editor of The Telegraph)
30 March 2009
Protectionism by G20 members will hurt developing countries most SIR – The alternative to free trade is protectionism, which is a recipe for further contraction of the global economy ("Here's a slogan for the G20 mob: 'What do we want? Free trade!'", Boris Johnson, Comment, March 24). Anti-capitalist protesters should be careful what they wish …
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Anthony Hilton: EU’s muscle could be world’s saviour (in the Evening Standard)
30 March 2009
After a period when it looked likely to derail, the G20 train appears to be back on the track. A couple of weeks ago there appeared to be an unbridgeable gulf between the Americans, who were pressing for a co-ordinated global economic stimulus, and the Europeans, who thought there was enough of that already and …
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Ruth Sunderland: Barriers to recovery (in The Observer)
29 March 2009
The wish list for the G20 is formidable. It includes a new architecture for global financial regulation; hedge fund controls; stronger bank capital requirements, so those paying high bonuses have to hold larger reserves; more IMF resources; and a stronger line on protectionism. At the Washington meeting in November, world leaders pledged to resist protectionism, …
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Letter to the Editor of The Guardian
27 March 2009
Sir - In his speech to the European parliament, Gordon Brown laid to rest any lingering doubts about his European credentials (Leaders, 25 March), which are bolstered by current economic trends. More than half the UK's trade in goods and services is conducted with the EU (as compared to 4.2% and 1.3% with China and …
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European Union and the Global Crunch (Letter to the Editor of The Times)
3 March 2009
Sir, To say that the EU is being tested and found wanting in the present crisis is a little harsh (leading article, Feb 28). Every region of the world has been affected by contractions in economic growth, rising unemployment and falling trade. Last autumn the EU co-ordinated a banking bailout based on the British Government’s …
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Building bridges across the Atlantic (Letter to the Editor of The Guardian)
2 March 2009
In becoming the first European leader to meet President Obama, Gordon Brown underlines his status as one of the key leaders of the European community (Comment, 25 February). While the bilateral link has long been characterised as a "special relationship", the European dimension seems set to play a growing role in UK-EU relations. Under Brown's …
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If Europe wants to be relevant, it needs an elected president (in The Independent)
2 March 2009
When Henry Kissinger once quipped: "When I want to call Europe, I cannot find a phone number," he expressed a frustration about the lack of decisive leadership that has sometimes characterised EU affairs – and it's for this same reason that Gordon Brown finds himself constantly flying off to Brussels for meetings with European leaders. …
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Strengthening the European Commission will help fight protectionism (in The Daily Telegraph)
17 February 2009
The European Union was at the forefront of lobbying efforts against the "Buy America" clause in the US economic stimulus package. President Barack Obama's plan originally contained a clause requiring any publicly funded projects to use US steel. The EU ambassador to Washington, John Bruton, said the measure would see a "new age of protectionism". …
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Police the Single Market (Letter to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal)
11 February 2009
Regarding Peter Sutherland's Feb. 10 op-ed, "Trade Obstacles Will Prolong the Economic Crisis":In combating protectionism, the European Union has a key role to play. Under President José Manuel Barroso, the European Commission has shown a healthy appetite for confronting economic nationalism. It must continue to police the single market with care. First, it should seek …
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Rising Protectionism (Letter to the Editor of the International Herald Tribune)
6 February 2009
The European Union is right to challenge the "Buy American" clause in the economic recovery package currently before the U.S. Congress. This proscriptive move by the Obama administration is the latest outbreak of protectionism around the world, which has seen several manifestations. These include tariffs on imports, anti-dumping measures and blocks on foreign investment. Even Britain, …
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Ensure there is no backlash against foreign workers (Letter to the Editor of the Financial Times)
6 February 2009
Sir, At this time of economic difficulty and real hardship for many people, it is more important than ever to cherish the principle of the free movement of labour in the European Union. This has been called into question by the strikes at the Lindsey oil refinery and elsewhere. The fundamental principle of the European …
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Free trade &protectionism as response to the financial crisis(Letter to the Editor of The Telegraph)
31 January 2009
SIR - In order to lift the world economy out of the doldrums, you are right to say that we need more trade, not less (Leading article, January 26). The impasse in the Doha talks is certainly disappointing and there are perturbing predictions of a fall in world trade of two per cent in 2009, …
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Change in transatlantic relations (Letter to the Editor of The Times)
28 January 2009
Dear Sir - In recent years, British leaders have touted the UK-US “special relationship” as a means for Britain to exert its influence on the international scene (Pond Life, 24 January 2009). However, given his remarks about the importance of the EU’s role on the global stage, we should expect Obama’s promise of ‘change’ to …
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Factors of ‘smart power’ (Letter to the Editor of the LA Times)
28 January 2009
Re: ‘A return to ‘smart power,’ Opinion, January 21.In seeking to advance "smart power," an Obama-led United States should look toward Europe for assistance and cooperation. European leaders such as Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy wish to work with the U.S. to advance common aims on the economy and the environment.While European leaders are well-disposed toward …
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Music to Europe’s Ears (Guardian Online)
21 January 2009
By Roland Rudd In his inaugural address <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/jan/20/obama-inauguration-oath-speech> , Barack Obama <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/barackobama> reminded his fellow citizens of America's challenges at home but also its global responsibilities. The 17-minute oration contained references to working in cooperation with international partners, and stated that the US is "ready to lead once more." America, he argued, could no longer …
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No boundaries (Letter to the Editor of The Guardian)
20 January 2009
The EU's capacity to function, despite the national differences depicted in the Czech artist David Cerny's model, is a remarkable achievement (Thus spoke Entropa: the EU defined in an Airfix model, 17 January). The EU may not be perfect, but it is a role model for regional cooperation. Barack Obama recognises the achievement of the …
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EU presidency (Letter to the Editor of The Independent)
11 January 2009
The reform entailing a permanent President of the EU is one of the changes in the Lisbon Treaty which would improve the workings of the EU (John Lichfield, 3 January). Six-month stints rotating 27 times is a recipe for discontinuity and confusion. The EU faces many challenges in 2009 and in the case of two …
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Small business leaders cast an envious eye at the eurozone’s stability (in The Independent)
1 January 2009
By Nigel Morris Leaders of British small businesses believe the euro has been a success by a margin of four to one, a poll today discloses. The survey for YouGov also found that a clear majority believed the currency had a long-term future and that Britain should keep open the option of membership.The vote of …
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