Brussels, 20/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - Drawing up a balance sheet of the past ten years as head of the European Commission, José Manuel Durão Barroso is convinced that the enlarged European Union has emerged stronger from the financial and budgetary crises that has characterised his mandate.
In a speech made at Chatham house in London on Sunday 19 October, the president of the Commission stated “Europe is stronger today than it was ten years ago”. According to Barroso, Europe has demonstrated strong “resilience” during the crises because member states remained united in tackling the challenges created by globalised trade. The Portuguese political leader added “my experience is that the countries that used the European lever effect to defend their interests have more weight at an international level. Those that are reticent about it are missing an opportunity to maximise their influence”.
He referred to several cases in which the United Kingdom is currently pulling a number of member states along in its wake whilst putting its position across at a European level: reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% (this decision is sought for the European Summit on 23-24 October) (EUROPE 11179); - tackling the phenomenon of European combatants who have gone to fight in Syria and Iraq; - the Ukrainian dossier in which the United Kingdom has supported a tough response from the EU with regard to Russia.
British referendum. Barroso is categorical: the United Kingdom's future is with the European Union. He backed the statement up by drawing on the opinions expressed by British business leaders and British employees working in the city of London, the majority of whom was in favour of staying in the EU. David Cameron's government itself has stated that 3 million British jobs depend on staying in the single market.
Barroso asked “the big question that the British people have to ask themselves is the following: are you sure that your situation will be better outside than in?”
Without denying the fact that each member state was experiencing difficulties with certain dossiers, such as the one involving the free movement of workers from Central and Eastern Europe for the United Kingdom, the outgoing president of the Commission called on the British authorities to take its inspiration directly from the experience of the Scottish referendum in which the Conservative, Labour and Liberal parties all did their best to defend the country's unity in a positive way. Even though the two challenges are different from an emotional point of view he said that “many rational arguments used by the three main political parties in the debate on Scotland are also pertinent with regard to the United Kingdom's membership of the EU”. (MB)