Brussels, 22/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - The principal political groups of the European Parliament have welcomed the agreement reached on Friday 19 February on the outlines of the reconfigured membership of the United Kingdom and the European Union, which will be put to referendum on Thursday 23 June (see EUROPE 11495). However, they remained reasonably cautious, stressing that the details of this agreement now need to be analysed.
“Where there is light, there is also shade”, observed the leader of the EPP group, Germany's Manfred Weber. “We support the agreement, but we are going to be looking at the details before we make a final judgement. In any case, we will work towards the swift adoption by the European Parliament of the legislative aspects of the agreement”, he said. He added: “The United Kingdom is part of the EU and must remain on board. When concluding this agreement, our aim was a better Europe. The member states have proved that they can act together and find solutions”.
The EP will act as co-legislator to set in place the safeguard clause allowing the UK to limit the payment of social benefits to migrant workers entering the country. On 16 February, the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, went to meet the main political groups at the EP to seek their support for this legislative text, to be proposed by the Commission in the event of a victory for the Calling for the UK to stay in the EU (see EUROPE 11491).
The President of the S&D group, Italy's Gianni Pittella, believes that the real challenge is only just beginning. “We should do our utmost to persuade British people that there is no single, concrete or rational reason for leaving the EU. It is evident that in terms of jobs, security and rights, Britain and Britons are better off in the EU”, he said. He expressed his satisfaction that the United Kingdom does not have a right of veto that would allow it to block an ever-closer union or any subsequent economic integration.
In the view of the Party of European Socialists (PES), the agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU offers a solid foundation to “continue our common policies”, the group states in a press release. However, “having examined the final draft, the PES is concerned that the principle of the freedom of movement has been challenged and that furthermore, the equality of European citizens before the law has been impinged upon”, the party states, describing as “disturbing” the fact that the UK seems to wish to undermine the rights of European migrant workers on its territory. On behalf of the PES, Sergei Stanishev stressed that “non-discrimination (was) not only a fundamental value of the EU, but a precondition for democracy”.
The ALDE group also welcomed the agreement, which it feels makes clear that “the United Kingdom is no longer connected to an ever-closer Union or to greater political integration, but it will allow those which wish to go further to do so”. “The United Kingdom will have a special status, this is a first”, the group said.
Treaty change? Several European leaders take the view that the inter-governmental agreement of the European Council will not require any changes to the current treaties but, paradoxically, the substance of this agreement with London could be laid down in a future treaty.
Belgian Liberal Guy Verhofstadt first of all said that the EP should now “closely consider the need for treaty change, so that these reforms and others may be formalised”. The EU “needs treaty change to deepen the EU and give it the instruments it needs to tackle the many crises it faces”, he said. ALDE will campaign for a 'yes' vote in the referendum.
“Now that we know the date of the British referendum, we must tackle the real underlying debate, the terms of which cannot boil down to just those of the 'deal' with David Cameron. We need to clarify the nature of the EU and the relationship between the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe”, said Belgian MEP Philippe Lamberts. “It is important to ascertain the advantages, not just the British but for the Europeans as a whole as well, of a European union with a United Kingdom convinced that it wants to stay in it. The Union aims to be more than just a single market and we must offer the British an overall vision showing that a strong union is the best way to meet environmental, social and economic challenges”, said the co-president of the Greens/EFA group.
The British MEP Syed Kamall, leader of the ECR political family of which Cameron's Conservative party is a member, believes that the reforms negotiated by his country “will benefit” the entire EU, such as the possibility for a certain number of national parliaments to oppose a European legislative proposal, the commitment to act in favour of more open markets and less red tape. “The debate can now be launched in the United Kingdom and the British will be able to decide whether they feel that they are better off staying in the EU on the basis of renewed relationship or by leaving the EU”, said Kamall. As the British question no longer lies within the ambit of the European political leaders over the next few months, he called upon the EU to deal with the “multiple crises” related to migration, the euro and conflicts in the countries of the neighbourhood “with the same sense of urgency”. His fellow Briton Ashley Fox said that he would campaign to keep the country in the EU, as he feels that the agreement will serve the interests of the UK.
Via Twitter, the Commissioner for Financial Services, Jonathan Hill, warned his compatriots that leaving the EU would mean no longer having any involvement with preparing European legislation and “would lead to rules which do not reflect the UK's interests”, stressing the importance for companies of having access to the single market.
On Monday 22 February, the European Commission said that it would not get involved in the British election campaign and that this rule of neutrality will also apply to all of its members. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)