13 November 2011

Guardian: Barroso tells Europe we must advance together or face decline

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission, today issued a sharp rebuke to Eurosceptics, including those in the British government, who want to use the current crisis to disengage from the European Union. Barroso made a rare intervention in the UK political debate by warning that all members of the EU need to unite and "advance together".

Citing Remembrance Sunday, he warned that "actions have consequences" and claimed that peace and prosperity will best be furthered by Europeans supporting and trusting EU institutions, rather than allowing the continent to fragment politically and economically. He wrote: "In this defining moment, we either unite or face irrelevance. Our goal must not be to maintain the status quo, but to move on to something new and better,", adding: "I hope when historians look back on these unprecedented times, they will understand that we stepped back from the brink of fragmentation. I hope they will see how the UK fully engaged with fellow Member States and institutional partners to ensure the stability of the EU."

After a tumultuous week in Europe that saw Italy pushed to the brink of meltdown, Barroso's strongly-worded intervention underlines the depth of anxiety in Brussels about the future of the single currency and the EU. Barroso, in comments likely to generate a furious backlash from some on the right of British politics, firmly dismissed any idea that this is a time for Europe to fragment. Rather than regarding the crisis as an opportunity for states to redraw their relationships with the EU, he said that the progress of European integration must no longer be limited by "the speed of the slowest or most reluctant member".

In an article in which he cited the world wars that ravaged the continent, he added: "Europe needs to advance together or risk fragmentation. The dynamic of globalisation in financial and economic terms, but also in geopolitical terms, confronts Europeans with a stark choice: live together, share a common destiny and count in the world; or face the prospect of disunity and decline."

Full article

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