Brussels, 18/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The new British government formed by the Conservatives under Prime Minister David Cameron and the Liberal Democrats under Nick Clegg will not oppose the creation of the European External Action Service (EEAS), and hopes to play a constructive role within the European Union that it considers “very important” for the United Kingdom. This, at any rate, is what is stated by the new foreign secretary, William Hague, in a carte blanche published in Europe's World, a publication by Friends of Europe. “The EU is an institution of enormous importance to the UK and to British foreign policy”, the former eurosceptic leader of the Tories says. “Despite the present economic crisis, Europe has never been freer, more stable and more prosperous, and the European Union deserves considerable credit for that”, he points out. However, the Conservative minister goes on to say, the EU must not “rest on its laurels”. “Today, its member states need to work together on the new issues we face in the 21st century - combating climate change, fighting global poverty and securing our energy supplies”. The EU must above all strengthen its economic competitiveness, Hague says, adding that Herman Van Rompuy, the permanent president of the European Council, is “accurate” when he says that Europe needs more economic growth and that competitiveness is the EU's most pressing problem. He also calls for strengthening of the internal market, as well as administrative and legislative simplification. The new British government will be “active” on all these issues, Hague says.
Enlargement. When it comes to foreign policy, William Hague first and foremost reiterates the importance that British Conservatives attach to continued enlargement. The prospect of accession is “crucial” if reforms are to be pushed forward and if there is to be stability in the Balkans, he said. In Bosnia-Herzegovina, the EU should, moreover, apply a policy with more muscle using the threat of “targeted sanctions against politicians who undermine the Bosnian state” as the “consequences of Bosnia's disintegration would be catastrophic”. Turkey's membership of the EU also remains a priority goal of the British government. The EU, Hague says, would gain on the economic level and in energy supply security. What is more, Ankara would be “an ideal interlocutor between Europe and the Middle East”.
European diplomatic service. “The UK's new government intends to play a leading role in discussion of the EU's external affairs”, Hague announces, underlining the fact that British Conservatives have always “argued that it is in the common interests of the nations of Europe that we should use our collective weight in the world”. The British government will be a “strong advocate” for EU collective action in the international arena, Hague announces. The British government will not prevent the creation of the EEAS, even though Tories remain sceptical about its ability to make the EU's external action more effective. “It is true that we in the Conservative Party were not persuaded of the case for the new EEAS as a service, but its existence is now a fact”, Hague says. “We now look to the smoothest possible establishment of a service that must play a positive role for the EU and have the confidence of its member states”, the minister adds, giving his assurance that “Britain's Conservative government will work closely with the High Representative, Catherine Ashton, whom we wish well”.
Lisbon Treaty. The fact that the British people have not had the opportunity to express how they feel in a referendum on ratification of the new EU treaty “has done grave damage to Britain, to the European Union's democratic legitimacy”, Hague affirms, adding “that legitimacy is now profoundly in need of repair”. Thus, the government under David Cameron hopes to negotiate “specific guarantees on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, the operation of the EU's competence in criminal justice and on social and employment legislation”, Hague proclaims. The “purpose of these measures is not to frustrate or sabotage the operation of the European Union but to put Britain's role in the EU on a more positive footing”, he says. The aim is also to obtain these guarantees by the end of the government's mandate. “We will take our time, negotiating firmly, patiently and respectfully”, Hague says. (H.B./transl.jl)