Business for New Europe

Last month, the Prime Minister delivered his long-awaited speech on what he sees as the future of Britain’s relationship with the EU, including an ‘In-Out’ referendum. In the lead-up to his speech, ten of the UK’s leading business figures signed a letter cautioning David Cameron over circumstances which would “put our membership of the EU at risk” and “create damaging uncertainty for British business”. 

Tony Blair said leaving the EU would be "hugely destructive of Britain's interests" as he made the case for the UK to remain at the very heart of Europe in a speech hosted by BNE at Chatham House on 28 November 2012. The full text of the speech can be found here  and the media coverage of the speech can be found on our website.

CBI President Sir Roger Carr, a member of BNE’s Advisory Council, addressed the CBI conference saying, “it is essential that the voice of British business is loud and clear in extolling the virtues of future engagement.”

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg warned this month against the UK moving to the “outer circle” of Europe and called for a “balanced and engaged” approach to the EU. An outline of his speech on his vision for the future of UK and EU relations can be found in the review. 

We will be hosting Tony Blair with Chatham House on 28 November as he gives a speech to a business audience on, "Europe, Britain and Business - Beyond the Crisis."

Speaking at one of BNE’s fringe meetings in Birmingham, David Lidington, the Europe Minister, said “a serious and grown up discussion about the political architecture of Europe” needed to take place, adding “[the UK] has a relationship with Europe which will not cease to exist.”  Blogs summarising the contributions all our speakers made to our debates across the three party conferences can be found below. 

A number of positive developments in the eurozone pushed down Spanish and Italian bond prices this month to below six and five per cent. This morning’s approval by the German Supreme Court of the European Stability Mechanism, the ECB’s move to backstop peripheral eurozone member’s debt and the Commission’s moves towards creating a banking union all went against the conventional wisdom that the euro will not make it through the crisis.

In this issue, we have a summary of an event on EIOPA and the future of insurance supervision in Europe, details of BNE fringe events at each of the party conferences and a forthcoming event on EU-US trade relations held in Brussels. We also highlight an article by BNE in City A.M. outlining why Britain should not veto a European banking union, a blog piece on the UK’s exposure to the eurozone crisis and written evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee inquiry. The August review finishes with a look ahead over the coming month and a summary of the news in brief.

In this issue, we have details of BNE Advisory Council members Sir Roger Carr and Malcolm Sweeting speaking to the Financial Times, and analysis of David Cameron's indications about a possible renegotiation and referendum on Britain's relationship with the EU. There is also information about our forthcoming event on EIOPA and the future of insurance supervision in Europe and news of our updated publication on Global Trade.

This month's issue includes a letter in The Times from BNE Chairman, Roland Rudd, in response to Lord Owen's call for a referendum on Britain's future relationship with the European Union, an update on the All Party Parliamentary Group on the EU, details of our recent publication on Global Trade, and reports on our recent events in London and Brussels.

This issue includes details of our upcoming events in London and Brussels, a new publication on India by Jo Johnson MP, as well as our regular monthly features 'News in Brief' and 'The Month Ahead in EU Affairs'.

This issue includes details of our upcoming events in London and Brussels, comment  pieces on Scottish independence and how UKIP's view on the impact of the EU in UK employment does not hold up under scrutiny, as well as our regular monthly features 'News in Brief' and 'The Month Ahead in EU Affairs'. 

This month, we released two in depth reports – one on EU social and employment policy and another on Scottish independence and accession to the EU. The report on Scotland was widely reported in the Times (£), the Express and the Scotsman. Ruth Davidson, leader of the Conservatives in Scotland said, “it backs up the weight of legal opinion which states that Scotland would need to re-apply to the EU and would most probably be forced to commit to joining the euro in order to receive quick accession. What is also highlighted in this paper is the large number of opt-outs already received by the UK. This is just one of the many reasons why we [Scotland] are better off in Britain.”

This month's issue includes insightful contributions on the fiscal compact, the consequences of Britain's lack of foreign language speakers, and the case for UK membership of the EU.

This month's issue is is packed full with blogs on the eurozone crisis and the single market, BNE event information and much more. 

This month's review includes details of our upcoming UCITS event, a summary of October's conference on European Growth and Competitiveness.

This month's review is packed with upcoming BNE events, summaries of our fringes at Party Conferences, BNE in the media and a blog on the EU's proposed Financial Transaction Tax. 

In this month's issue, BNE comment pieces focus on developing eurozone issues, from eurobonds to the proposed financial transactions tax. There is also information on upcoming publications and BNE events.

Read this review to see our full programme for Party Conferences 2011 with details of individual fringe events and speakers. Content in this month's issue also includes analysis of the recent developments in the euro zone and the EU's new supervisory structures in financial services.

The headlines continue to tell a story of Europe in a state of crisis and the euro allegedly close to collapse.  There is a crisis, but the more dire predictions are pretty wide off the mark.  They ignore the more important underlying story of a battle in European capitals over how to set the EU on the path to economic recovery.  We will examine this question in the publication we will be releasing on the 17^th.

This issue includes comment on Bin Laden's death, the Arab Spring and recent euro zone developments, including BNE Director, Phillip Souta, discussing the Portuguese bail-out on Jeff Randall Live. The review also looks ahead to our upcoming two day conference, the second annual Economic Ideas Forum, speakers include Christine Lagarde, French Minister for Economic Affairs and Mark Hoban MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury. 

This month's review includes summaries of our three events in March, comment on the European response to Libya and the ECJ's judgement on gender discrimination in insurance matters, and looks ahead to future BNE events with Andrea Enria (European Banking Authority), Cathy Ashton (EU's high representative) and Mark Hoban (Financial Secretary to Treasury). 

This issue includes the launch of our new 'In Depth' series, our upcoming events and details about the current EU Careers Month. Also, in a letter to the Daily Telegraph, BNE Chairman, Roland Rudd, calls for the EU to help North Africa meet their democratic aspirations through effective short and long-term objectives.

In this month’s review we have articles on the emerging consensus on fixing the euro zone, a fascinating drive by the government on services and the new language language –focused English Baccalaureate. We are also delighted to announce that BNE will be endowing a €14,000 BNE Scholarship to cover the tuition fees of one British student to the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium or Natolin, Poland

We will continue to push the government to take a positive, leading role in the EU. BNE has a packed programme for 2011, beginning with President Van Rompuy's first keynote speech of the year on 13 January. 

A number of the members of our Advisory Council, including Lord Browne and Roger Carr, and other business leaders such as Sir Richard Branson, supported our drive to persuade the government that this policy was in the national interest (see report in the Telegraph on 26 November by Damian Reece, for a full list of business leaders who supported this initiative and for the role the BNE played).

"12 years on from another Anglo-French summit on defence cooperation, and limited progress since then, we face an unpleasant new paradox: we cannot afford to maintain capabilities which we cannot afford to lose.  The current UK proposed Trident replacement is hugely expensive, but in an uncertain world it remains important to have a nuclear capability. Anglo-French defence cooperation offers an obvious way forward which we cannot afford to ignore."  Letter in Telegraph and Le Figaro, 2 November

We have a full programme of events this month.  William Hague, Carl Bildt (The Swedish Foreign Secretary), John Bruton (former Taoiseach of Ireland), Dan Hannan MEP (representing South East England for the Conservative Party) and Vince Cable are on the billing.  We are also delighted to be holding our first event in Brussels, on the 13^th of October.

We will be holding five events in September – four at the Liberal Democrat and Labour party conferences in Liverpool and Birmingham, and one in London at the LSE with the EU’s budget commissioner (pictured).

BNE is delighted to have been appointed as the Secretariat of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Europe, co-chaired by Lord Dykes (LD, Foreign Affairs Spokesman in the Lords) and Wayne David MP (LAB, Caerphilly).

“Most of my British friends drive German cars. Stop buying them, I tell them – you’re contributing to economic imbalances in the eurozone!” Dr. Markus Kerber, the Director General of Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic Affairs at the German Ministry of Finance opened a speech at a BNE / German Embassy roundtable, on 29 June, on the vices and virtues of the German economy with a jab at the critics of Germany’s export-led economic model.