Brussels, 06/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - The prime minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker said that the promise made by David Cameron, the British prime minister, to hold a referendum, has created a situation for himself that is more difficult than it would appear, in an interview with EUROPE published on Thursday 7 March (see also EUROPE 10799).. According to Juncker, the compromise obtained by the European Council on the 2014-2020 financial framework is ineffective. (MB and EL/transl.fl).
Agence Europe (AE) - If Mr Cameron is re-elected, a referendum will take place on whether the United Kingdom stays in the EU. What do you think of this approach?
Jean-Claude Juncker (JCJ) - Mr Cameron's approach consists of asking other member states to renationalise a number of competencies that are currently covered by the Community remit. The approach in itself is not outrageous; it will mean establishing what competencies currently covered by Europe will Mr Cameron attempt to renationalise.
If an agreement were established between all 28 members, it would be easy. Everything will depend on the breadth of Mr Cameron's wish list. If we are unable to reach an agreement, it will become extremely complicated because in this hypothesis, everything will depend on Mr Cameron's final reaction once he puts a proposal to the British people. If he does not win, does this mean he will say, “I haven't won, vote to keep the United Kingdom in the EU;” or will he say, “I haven't got what I want, therefore we are going to leave”? He has put himself in a situation that perhaps appeared comfortable when he made his announcement but it will have serious ramifications when the final decision is made by the government and British people.
We should not lose sight of the fact that some competences are currently within the national remit or are mixed and would benefit if they were covered in the Community field. The debate will therefore focus on thinning out Community density and the growth in volume of European competences.
AE - How can the positions of the European Council and European Parliament be brought closer together on the issue of the 2014-2020 Multi-annual Financial Framework?
JCJ - The compromise is ineffective. The difference between commitment and payment appropriations is too great. At the European Council we highlighted the possible areas of flexibility in the budget and I can point out, not without displeasure, that the Parliament is focusing its reflection on the organisation of the future budget's internal flexibility. It seems to me to be a good approach because a dose of flexibility helps remove the difference between commitment and payment appropriations. The flexibility on which we have agreed is, if I dare say so, the flexibility between the different lines and years proposed.