The Financial Times, 26 July 2007
Big step forward for world's largest single market
From Lord Brittan of Spennithorne and others.
Sir, The new treaty is good news for business and the European Union. It is a major step forward for the world's largest and most globally respected single market. That 27 member states were able to reach an agreement on an amending treaty was positive for the UK and for the entire EU. This promises to make the EU function better and more effectively.
The new treaty, while bearing some similarities to the Constitutional Treaty, is different in a number of crucial ways. It is based on existing treaties, rather than replacing all previous agreements with an over-arching grandiose text. Also, one should bear in mind that the agreement secured by the UK includes opt-outs on police and criminal justice policy, and also a protocol on the Charter of Fundamental Rights ensuring that nothing will change for the UK. Therefore, the version of the treaty applying to the UK will be very different to the version of the treaty applying to other countries.
Far from reducing the UK's voting weight in the European Council, it increases it by 45 per cent. The measure ending the rotating presidency will also make the EU more effective. Above all else, the business community wants an EU able to face global challenges on competitiveness, climate change, energy security and a range of other issues. A full and rigorous scrutiny in the UK parliament is required for the Treaty rather than a long drawn-out referendum process, which has no precedent. We support the government's determination to ratify this treaty in parliament.
Lord Brittan of Spennithorne
Roger Carr, Chairman, Centrica
Guy Dawson, Founding Partner, Tricorn Partners
Sir John Parker, Chairman, National Grid
Vijay Patel, Chief Executive, Waymade Healthcare
Sir Mike Rake, Chairman, KPMG International
Roland Rudd, Senior Partner, Finsbury
Bryan Sanderson, Co-Chair, Asia Task Force
Rosemary Thorne, Non-Executive Director, Cadbury Schweppes
Lord Christopher Tugendhat
Philippe Varin, Chief Executive, Corus