28 February 2014

President Schulz: The EU must undergo a radical transformation

I firmly reject those who claim that Europe's continued decline is inevitable. But I also believe that only by changing course now can we ensure our future and regain trust in the eyes of voters. 

Austerity is being applied so harshly by some governments that it is creating a social crisis and stifling economic growth prospects. Structural reforms in many of our economies are overdue and accumulating debt for future generations has no place on a progressive agenda. But it also makes sense to borrow for productive job-creating investment. I would propose that measures to boost investment in innovation and to lift educational standards should be excluded from the European Commission's excessive deficit calculations. Governments that carry out high quality investment should be encouraged, not penalised.

It's because I'm a convinced European that I believe the EU must undergo a radical transformation. I am standing as a Socialist to be the next president of the European Commission because I wish to contribute to this change. But the Commission itself needs reform. I would only place legislative proposals on the Commission's agenda if I am convinced that national, regional or local authorities can't act more effectively. I will assign responsibilities to Commissioners according to priority areas where the lead is taken each time by groups of Commissioners working together. Where EU legislation hampers job creation or adds undue burdens for business, and particularly for SMEs, it must be recast or repealed.

The majority of people in the UK want change and reform of the EU. So do I. When David Cameron's government puts specific reform proposals on the table I will support them if they contribute to making the EU work better. The UK plays a big role in the internal market, in our new common foreign and security policy, in EU peacekeeping and in development aid. But Britain risks a lot by toying with exit in a referendum. The UK should be at the negotiating table when the EU and the US negotiate the largest multilateral trade deal of all time, a deal which would increase the size of the EU economy by around €120 billion (or 0.5 per cent of GDP) and the US by €95 billion (or 0.4 per cent of GDP) meaning each British family would save around £500 a year. Britain is better off in the EU and the EU is better off with Britain at its heart.

There is no doubt a reformed EU requires new leadership and courageous ideas. If not, the current generation of young people could be the first since the second world war to be worse off than the generation that went before it, undermining the European union's very raison d'être.

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