Brussels, 01/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - The new British foreign secretary, William Hague, wants to increase the number of British nationals working in key posts in the European institutions. He accused the former government of Gordon Brown of seeking to create a “generation gap” among the British working for the EU. On Thursday 1 July in London, during a speech on new British foreign policy, Hague said that the new government was determined to rectify the situation. According to him, since 2007 the number of senior British nationals occupying director level posts at the European Commission has fallen by a third. The foreign secretary also stated that “Britain represents 12% of the EU population but accounts for just 1.8% of staff at entry-level policy grades in the European Commission - well below the other big member states”. Hague indicated that the new government would make closer and “more flexible” contacts with the new member states that joined the EU in 2004 and 2007, rather than exclusively concentrate on the large countries. He added: “Of course, France and Germany remain crucial partners (…) but for the UK to exert influence and generate creative new approaches to foreign policy challenges we need to look further and wider”. (H.B./transl.fl)