Today the Coalition will bring forward legislation to allow every British citizen to have a say on future changes to the EU Treaties where those changes transfer power or competence from Britain to the European Union.
Britain has been a member of the European Union since the 1970s and we have benefited from closer cooperation. We should also remember that the union is one of the greatest successful demonstrations of the expansion of democracy and liberal values in history. From the post-war stabilisation of western Europe to the removal of the Iron Curtain, the European Union has provided its members with the framework to work together for their mutual benefit. Britain is stronger because of its EU membership, not in spite of it.
Our party has recognised the benefits of Europe for a long time, but we also recognise that many people in Britain feel disconnected with how the EU has developed, and the decisions that have been taken in their name. Europe’s democratic deficit has damaged how people feel about Britain’s involvement in the EU.
We know as a party that EU membership is a powerful incentive for neighbouring countries to consolidate democratic government. Britain has long recognised the role enlargement plays in increasing our strategic influence across the continent. And we know that by extending the Single Market, opening up energy and service sectors, and improving EU patent law, Britain’s economy will be strengthened. But we also know that we cannot make the case for a strong, positive and active role for Britain in the EU if people feel that they are being held at arm’s length from the big political decisions that affect them.
Through the European Union Bill, the government is fulfilling its promise to seek the people’s consent in a national referendum before any future EU Treaty change that moves a power or competence from Britain to Europe can come into force. Ministers will have to work hard to make the case for the change, first to parliament for its consent to pass the enabling legislation that is required, and then to the people to win their consent in a referendum.
The referendum lock will protect the most sensitive areas of British national interest – defence, social security, fiscal policy, border controls and justice – so that we can directly involve all British citizens in future EU decision-making. Furthermore, primary legislation will also be required for all other Treaty articles whose use would not amount to a transfer of power or competence of any significance but nonetheless are of legislative importance.
For those who fear that this will create too onerous an obstacle to British participation in the European Union, I would say two things. Firstly, the democratic deficit on EU matters causes real damage to government efforts to engage constructively and in the national interest at EU level. The Coalition remains committed to playing a strong, positive and active role in the European Union but to fulfil that ambition we must make sure we have the consent of the people. We are increasing public and parliamentary accountability through this Bill precisely so that we can pursue a positive European agenda and enhance the democratic accountability of decision-making on EU matters.
Secondly, Britain’s working relationship with other member states at the European level need not be hindered. The Bill does not affect decision-making within the Council, where we retain our veto on issues of unanimity, whilst its accountability mechanisms are similar to those of other member states who have introduced national democratic controls. This Bill puts the empowerment of the individual at the heart of government policy on Europe. I want the EU to be a force for progress, on climate change, free trade, human rights and other issues. That is the determined intention of our government. The Bill will make the EU more accountable and, as a result, more effective.
Jeremy Browne is Minister of State at the Foreign Office. Today is the second reading of the European Union Bill.
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18 Comments
Today’s Guardian has a magisterial first leader rubbishing this bill: ‘ . . many ministers know their bill is nonsense. Coalitions involve compromises, but it is a shameful moment to see Britain’s most pro-European party, and pro-European Tories such as Kenneth Clarke, trooping into the lobbies tonight in support of such a foolish, feckless and futile bill.’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/dec/07/britain-europe-colition-editorial
Pointless, popularist Tory nonsense – a meaningless constitutional bill designed to appeal specifically to those who don’t understand the British constitution in the first place.
Still, nice try at putting a lib-dem spin on it. Rather you than me.
My understanding is that the Lisbon Treaty is a self amending treaty which requires no further agreement from the member states.
Also that it does not come into full force until five years have passed – at which time there is very little legislation that cannot be enacted.
Not sure it is meaningless. It’s the kind of thing which seems harmless at the time but useful to appease Tory headbangers, but which will in due course, perhaps several years away, turn out to have some nasty unintended consequences. But it seems we are stuck with it.
Tony Greaves
I also suspect that Jeremy Browne is not so much the Europhile as many Lib Dem members. But he’s right on the democratic deficit of the EU.
I have far more confidence in the EU than I do in Westminster.
I would rather have a referendum lock on transfer of powers to Westminster from local level or from Europe.
@ Antony Hook
The trouble with the EU is that the people [voters] have virtually no say on the legislation it enacts – it is a dictatorship.
At least the people are able to vote in a party to govern the UK and hold them to account if they do not fulfill their manifesto promises!!!
Oh the EU-fanatic LibDems!
And, of course, you would have taken us into the Euro! What a disaster that would have been. The Euro will collapse and the UK should leave the EU, the CAP and the CFP.
Let us have some sort of Associate Membership at this end of the Continent, and let Turkey have a similar Associate Membership at the other end. That would save Turkey’s face, associate a secular Muslim state with the EU and keep the French and Germans happy not to have Turkey as a full member.
@Dane Clouston
You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about.
Firstly the Lib Dem position has always been not to enter the euro until the economic circumstances are right (something which I believe will never happen) and secondly our 2010 manifesto specifically said that we would not enter the euro unless the decision was approved by the British public in a referendum. So I really don’t see what the hell you’re complaining about.
@John Roffey
EU law is made by the Parliament (which the people elect directly) and the Council of Ministers (i.e. the state governments, which the people elect).
Which part of the is undemocratic?
And you say the UK is democratic. Was it democratic when Blair/Brown were elected on 35% of the votes cast in 2005?
@Dane Coulston.
“The euro will collapse”.
A currency that’s gained about 40% in value against the pound over the last decade and which the OBR when asked if it will collapse yesterday gave odds of 98.3% against.
@ Anthony Hook
I suspect you are aware that there are 27 nations in the EU – it therefore follows that the UK electorate have a fraction of the total representation. Every law passed could be against the wishes of the UK voters, every law rejected could be a law wanted by the UK electorate. It is a body which enforces laws onto the nation which the people have no real practical way of changing – pretty close to a dictatorship I would say – leaving aside the fact that it was the clear will of the people not have political union with the EU which the political class refused to allow to be expressed through a referendum.
Whereas it is true that UK governments are formed supported by a low % of the voters. Nevertheless the people do have regular opportunities to kick out the administration and replace them with another which offers to repeal unpopular laws and enact popular laws. Nothing similar applies to the EU.
I think representatives of the Party should have learned as a result of its current difficulties that the voters expect politicians to tell the truth and not to pretend something is true which is clearly false.
George W. Potter,
Are you being truthful? What you describe as what the “LibDem position has always been” was certainly not the LibDem position when Gordon Brown prevented Blair from taking us into the Euro. It was, thank goodness, Gordon Brown’s position.
The LibDem position at that time was that they were keen to join the Euro which they would have done if they could have done. Where were you and what was your opinion then?
The LibDem 2010 manifesto was of course written after it had become clear what a disaster the LibDem’s previous policy of joining the Euro willy nilly would have been.
Anthony Hook
The forced appreciation of Euro currency values in weaker countries against the pound is why the Euro will, or rather, as of course I should have said, will very likely collapse.
The Euro has always been a political project. There are very few currency unions which have survived without full political union, which is what the EU wants. So it is a question of either one country called Europe or the collapse of the Euro, perhaps into two or more currencies.
One country called Europe? As a Liberal, unlike many LibDems, I sincerely hope not! Let us rule ourselves from Westminster, not be ruled from Brussels!
Tim Farron’s speech on this Bill yesterday starts at 6.18 pm in:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debates/?id=2010-12-07a.191.0&s=speaker%3A24911#g239.4
‘ . . There is a growing fear that unless something radical is done, the views of the British public and the politicians on the EU will continue slowly to drift on a tide of Eurosceptic media stories to a point at which this country will ultimately leave the EU altogether. I know that many of my colleagues on the Government Benches would favour that, but in my view it would be an absolute disaster for the United Kingdom. I would be interested to hear from the Minister what other plans the Government have beyond our Bill, in line with their commitment to play a strong, positive and active role in the EU, to start a new dialogue with the British public calmly and rationally to explain and sell the benefits of EU membership.
There are many questions to answer, but the Bill’s crucial task is to democratise and make transparent and trustworthy all our dealings with the European Union and to do so in a way that is pragmatic and positive for our immensely valuable relationships with our EU partners. For what it is worth, I think the coalition has succeeded in meeting those challenges and I look forward to continuing this formalised outbreak of accountability and reason towards our membership of the European Union.’
UKIP are enjoying the Party’s plight!
http://bloggers4ukip.blogspot.com/2010/12/yougov-shows-ukip-closing-gap-on-lib.html
This is just a sop to the Tory right as others have pointed out. And if it uttterly fails to convince that is because we already had a promise of a referendum on the constitution that was broken as soon as it was convenient.
The difficulty it fails to address – and which the Lib Dems refuse to acknowledge or even debate – is that the design of the EU was flawed from the outset as the longstanding democratic deficit and current difficulties of the Euro have made manifest. And rest assured; whever the ‘experts’ may claim now, it’s going to get a lot worse before long – probably terminally worse.
Which is terrrible for those of us that would like to see the EU reformed along sensible lies to make it properly democratic and functional for the peoples of Europe. When those that claim to be the Eu’s friends cannot rise above posturing and spin in defence of a bankrupt system it can only strengthen UKIP and the fruitcake brigade.
“Liberal Eye”
While I appreciate much of what you say, I might add that “when those that [who] claim to be the EU’s friends cannot rise above” insulting those who disagree with them by describing them as the “fruitcake brigade”, it can only strengthen UKIP – and those who agree with UKIP that the UK should leave the EU before it is too late to prevent the UK from becoming a part of a bureacratic, corrupt, megalomaniac, spendthrift, undemocratic country called Europe.
@ Dane
What was actually in my mind as I wrote those words was the memory of a meeting I attended a few years ago where a UKIP spokesman characterised the EU as a plot by an international cabal of Jewish financiers etc. and went downhill from there. Not an official UKIP view as far as I know, but certainly pretty delusional.