Danish EU Presidency must focus on competitiveness
Posted, January 18, 2012 @ 12:00
In a debate this morning in the European Parliament with Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, leader of the UK's Conservative MEPs Martin Callanan MEP called for the 6-month Presidency to focus on economic competitiveness, growth and the single market.
He said: "The presidency has begun well with its frank assessment of the damage a Financial Transaction Tax would cause. I hope the presidency will continue in this vein and tell all leaders of the European Union that the time has come to face the truth about the eurozone and the underlying European economic weakness.
"The last Council was a staggering missed opportunity. Instead of facing reality the Council has embarked on another round of introspective institutional navel-gazing.
"We must never forget that we are currently in the midst of not one but two great crises.
"The eurozone may be the most immediate problem but we must not lose sight of the fact that Europe faces a fundamental challenge to its international economic position. We are losing competitiveness in the global market place. We are falling behind more dynamic regions of the world. We are allowing bureaucracy to stifle enterprise, and regulation to hamper innovation. As we work towards Europe 2020, we need a growth agenda which creates jobs, which encourages business.
"The European Union must focus on stimulating economic reform and developing the single market."