Civitas
+44 (0)20 7799 6677

Single Market completion is a poisoned chalice

Jonathan Lindsell, 15 April 2013

A new Civitas publication highlights the contradictions in David Cameron’s Bloomberg Speech. All but hardened Eurosceptics tend to feel that whatever the EU’s problems, the single market is an international boon. This may not be the case.

On 23rd January Cameron announced his party’s intention to renegotiate Britain’s place in the European Union along five principles: competitiveness, flexibility, power flowing back to member states, democratic accountability and fairness.

He intentionally left the meaning of these principles vague and open to interpretation, but here is a summary of the specifics he let slip:

1. Competitiveness:
– Complete the single market in services, energy and digital trade.
– Make trade deals with the US, Japan and India.
– Exempt small companies from more directives.
– Control unnecessary spending.
– Create a Single Market Council.

2. Flexibility:
– Create a structure that accommodates diverse needs, i.e. Eurozone and second tier.

3. Power must be able to flow back to member states:
– Enshrine this possibility in Treaty form (as promised at Laeken).
– Examine and judge areas of EU competence and action.
– Reform of labour laws regarding doctors (or in general).

4. Democratic Accountability:
– No clear proposal; general recognition of national parliaments’ superiority to EU bodies.

5. Fairness:
– No clear proposal.

Whilst positive at first glance, Cameron’s proposals come into conflict with one another in the gritty detail. In essence, the proposals in ‘Competitiveness’ are inconsistent with the other four goals. To complete the single market, a great deal more power must flow towards Brussels and far more inflexible ‘harmonizing’ rules must be imposed. Trade deals require the Commission to twist 27 member states’ arms into a semblance of consensus. To control spending, unnecessary bodies must be cut yet Cameron, in his next breath, supports creating a new council where none has existed or been needed before.

Director of Civitas Dr David Green’s new pamphlet, What Have We Done? explores the democratic threat posed by EU integration. It traces Britain’s political growth from Anglo-Saxon witangemot councils, through the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights to modern parliamentary democracy. Dr Green shows that, by surrendering the veto in 12 areas, Margaret Thatcher eroded Britain’s traditional political calibre. We lost our key right – the ability to vote down a government that has ceased to act in the people’s interest.

When Cameron announced “I want completing the single market to be our driving mission,” he failed to see the fundamental peril of integration. It’s a trap!

The latest push for the single market is the Single Market Act II (summary, full text). Its 12 proposals include numerous centralising actions:
– Accelerating the growth of EU control over cross-border trains and flights.
– Expanding the power of EURES, the employment and mobility portal, including the “portability of supplementary social security rights, including pensions.” (p.10)
– Boosting long term investment in the real economy.
– Giving the EU control over online payment and insolvency law.
– Forcing the use of electronic invoicing over the paper norm.
– Yet more product safety and banking laws.

Whether you sympathise with some of the proposals or not, the conclusion that the latest push for ‘completing the single market’ is incompatible with the sovereignty of parliament and British consent is inescapable.  If Cameron completes the Single Market, it’s inconceivable that he will achieve his other goals. Britain will have less flexibility, less individual power and far less democratic accountability.

For more of our work on Britain and Europe, including books, research papers and objective teaching materials for use in schools, visit here.

Newsletter

Keep up-to-date with all of our latest publications

Sign Up Here