Press release - 8th September 2008

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, former French President and author of the rejected EU Constitution, will be the key speaker at a special conference on Britain’s future relationship with Europe, to be hosted in Parliament on 8th September.

The conference, organised by the campaign group Global Vision and the Daily Telegraph, is aimed at exploring the options for the UK as the rest of Europe decides whether or not to proceed with further integration based on Lisbon. Other speakers will include Lord Trimble, former first Minister of Northern Ireland;  Lord Howell, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords; Lord Blackwell and Ruth Lea of Global Vision; and Iain Martin, Head of Comment at the Daily Telegraph.

President Giscard d’Estaing will reaffirm his belief that closer integration in Europe is the right future for the EU as a whole to take, but make clear that if Britain does not want to follow this course they should be offered a ‘special status’ that allows other EU countries to proceed with integration while maintaining close ties.                                                                                                                                                          

He will tell the conference:

"Integration is vital for Europe: it is a question of scale that will become vital in the world of tomorrow. The European Union has already come too far with the project of closer integration to stop now. However, we have to accept that not all countries share the same vision, or are comfortable proceeding at the same speed. If countries such as Britain do not want to move to the next stage we should be prepared to agree with them on a special status that would preserve close ties, but avoid them acting as a break on the progress of others."

Lord Blackwell, Chairman of Global Vision, will respond by saying that:

“The time has come for Britain say clearly that it does not want to continue down the road of further political and economic integration in Europe. A regional European block is an outdated concept in the globalised world of the 21st Century, and is tying us into inward looking, uncompetitive protectionism and regulation.  We should take this opportunity to negotiate a new, looser relationship with the EU that preserves the benefits of free trade and cooperation but allows us to opt out of the project of political and economic integration that others seem committed to follow.”

Ruth Lea, Director of Global Vision, will tell the conference:

“We do not want to turn are backs on Europe, but we must recognise the increasing importance of Britain’s opportunities as a major global trading nation in the fast growth emerging markets. It is in everyone’s interests to conclude a new, modern relationship with the EU that gives us the freedom we need without continual conflict with our neighbours. Rather than isolating us, such a relationship pioneered by Britain could well set the preferred model that could be adopted by a number of other EU members – particularly the new accession states – if they so wished.”