UK Business Leaders Celebrate EU Anniversary
On the 50th anniversary of the EU, fifty major business figures have set out their visions for the future of the Union, and the UK’s relationship with it.
Their views are contained in a new pamphlet, “A Europe we can do business with”, which also features a Foreword from the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown MP.
The business leaders, including many FTSE100 Chairmen and CEOs, come from a range of sectors from banking, airlines and telecoms to manufacturing, consultancy and healthcare. They include prominent figures such as,
Marcus Agius (Chairman, Barclays), Sir Richard Branson (Founder, Virgin Group), Martin Broughton (Chairman, British Airways), Mike Darcey (COO, BSkyB), Charles Dunstone (CEO, Carphone Warehouse), Sir Philip Hampton (Chairman, Sainsbury), Sir Terry Leahy (CEO, Tesco), Sir Tom McKillop (Chairman, Royal Bank of Scotland), Sir John Parker (Chairman, National Grid), Peter Sutherland (Chairman, BP), Arun Sarin (CEO, Vodafone) and Sir Martin Sorrell (CEO, WPP).
In the Foreword, Chancellor Gordon Brown MP said:
“The story of British business in Europe over the last ten years has been one of success. Today, over half of British trade is within the EU. The Single Market - one of Europe's defining achievements - has created an additional 2.75 million jobs across the European Union and boosted prosperity by €225 billion in 2006……… And in this new global economy, the challenges facing Europe, of climate change, world trade, security and immigration demand international cooperation not isolationism.”
Chairman of Business for New Europe, Roland Rudd, said:
“On the 50th anniversary of the EU, there is much to celebrate and much to look forward to. Business has been good for Europe, and Europe has been good for business. The fact that so many prominent business leaders have contributed will dispell the myth that business has turned sceptical about the UK’s involvement in the European Union. In general, business leaders support the UK’s active engagement in a reforming Europe.”
Business for New Europe has already released its version of the Berlin Declaration, which called on the EU to concentrate on its central mission of promoting prosperity and opportunity – copies can be downloaded from www.bnegroup.org (Information and Resources).
ENDS
1. BNE’s aim is to support the UK’s active engagement in Europe, and a reformed, enlarged and free-market EU.
2. BNE’s principles are as follows:
- We support the UK’s membership of the EU and oppose withdrawal to the margins; we support positive and constructive engagement with the EU as the only sensible approach and as vital to our national interests.
- We support a vision of a prosperous free-market Europe able to compete in a globalised world.
- We support economic liberalisation and oppose excessive EU regulation, centralisation and red tape.
- We support institutional reform, further cooperation between EU member states where it is in Britain's interests and oppose old-fashioned federalism.
- We support the enlargement of the EU including Turkey, and recognise the benefits that the recent wave of enlargement have brought.
3. For further information about Business for New Europe, see www.bnegroup.org or contact +44 (0) 207 256 6575, +44 (0) 7787 513 864 press@bnegroup.org
