The Implacable EU Expansion

Jonathan Lindsell, 22 April 2013

Catherine Ashton, who has never been elected to any post other than Treasurer of the CND, is one of the most powerful women in Brussels. Except, of course, in her role as High Representative for the EU the good Baroness is seldom in Brussels. Instead she acts as a kind of ambassador-without-portfolio for the entire continent, roaming hither and thither.

Last Friday saw her achieve a historic feat: she brokered a peaceful recognition deal between Kosovo and Serbia. Although far from comprehensive – Serb PM Ivica Dacic claiming that ‘initialling’ an agreement did not equate to ‘signing’ – the development is a welcome step for the ex-Yugoslav region.

Peace, however, is unlikely to have been the only priority in Ashton’s mind. She is, after all, Vice-President of the European Commission, so expansion is a constant objective. Already her boss, José Manuel Barroso, has announced his intention to accommodate the two states’ accession plans. He is supported by Herman van Rompuy, President of the Council.

What does this mean? Croatia is set to join the Union on 1 July this year, highlighting issues Civitas’ Anna Sonny critically discussed last week. Other candidates in various stages of joining are Turkey, Iceland, Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Together these states represent an extra 90,000,000 EU citizens, and consequently a further dilution of Britain’s voice in the European Council and Parliament.

Whilst EU expansion seems inevitable, the progressive weakening of Britain’s position does not. Today sees the launch of Business for Britain, a cross-party campaign group that aims to press David Cameron into positive, substantial renegotiation.

This sets the field for what will likely be an ongoing political battle for the next few years. Business for Britain is organised by the team behind ‘Business for Sterling’ who successfully fought to defend the pound last decade. The new group enjoys the support of Next’s Lord Wolfson, Ocado’s Sir Stuart Rose, John Mills, founder of JML Group, and 500 other business leaders. They are opposed by Business for New Europe, the brainchild of PR/spin guru Roland Rudd, and heavyweight entrepreneurs including Sir Martin Sorrell and Richard Branson. Rudd argues that any unilateral renegotiation attempts will upset the markets and cause uncertainty across the business community.

Cameron should drop his delusional plans for an EU-US FTA, which is antithetical to his other Bloomberg goals. He must recognise that the new Financial Transaction Tax underlines Britain’s feeble position. He must pick a side.