Britain seems to be saying "bye bye" to EU, says Finland
David Cameron arrives for the EU summit.
Britain's policy towards Europe is becoming harder to understand and there is a sense the country is slowly waving goodbye to the European Union, Finland's Europe minister said today.
Speaking at an EU summit, Alex Stubb said Britain appeared to be purposefully putting itself at odds with its partners. Finland allies closely with Germany on a range of EU issues and has a substantial voice in EU policymaking.
"It's almost as if it's 26 plus 1, to be very honest," he said when asked if the push for deeper integration among the 17 euro zone countries risked leaving Britain and the other nine EU member states in a second-tier group.
"I think Britain is right now, voluntarily, by its own will, putting itself in the margins," he told Reuters in an interview.
"We see it in foreign policy, we see it in economic policy, we see it linked to the single currency. And I, as someone who advocates the single market and free trade, find that very unfortunate, very unfortunate.
"It's almost as if the boat is pulling away and one of our best friends is somehow saying 'bye bye' and there's not really that much we can do about it."
British officials insist their government wants to remain part of the EU but over the past year Prime Minister David Cameron has taken an increasingly tough line, partly in an effort to assuage Eurosceptical backbenchers in his Conservative party and partly because of innate differences with the EU over where it is headed.
Cameron said earlier this month that a referendum on Britain's ties with the European Union would be the best way of agreeing a fresh settlement with the 27-member bloc.
Arriving at the summit, he called on Europe to encourage enterprise, cut regulation and complete the bloc's single market, which was launched in 1992.
"It is its 20th anniversary right now, but it still isn't finished, in digital, in services, in energy, and that is the agenda I'll be pushing very hard at this council," he said.
As well as refusing to sign up to a "fiscal compact" that 25 EU countries agreed last year, Cameron has threatened to veto the EU's long-term budget if Britain's positions aren't respected, and this week announced he was pulling out of EU cooperation on policing and justice issues.
Some EU diplomats are concerned that Britain is now on a slippery slope towards a "velvet divorce" from the EU, which it joined in 1973.
Asked if he could envisage Britain pulling out, Stubb said he didn't see things going that far yet, but all countries needed to keep domestic political undercurrents in check.
"There is a lot of pressure on the British government at home from its Eurosceptic wing," said Stubb, who is married to a British lawyer.
"I of course hope that the current government holds steadfast as a fully-fledged member of the European Union and doesn't start marginalizing itself voluntarily because I think that would be to the detriment of both Britain and the EU."
In the past two months, 11 euro zone countries have decided to push ahead with their own financial transactions tax, proposals have been made for a banking union among the euro zone countries and others that want to join, and there has been a proposal to set up a single budget for the euro zone.
All three moves have created tensions among states and made Britain's position more complicated and less comfortable.
"We have to be careful not to make proposals that make a permanent split between the euro zone countries and the non-euro zone countries," said Stubb, a former foreign minister.
"It sort of breaks my heart to be honest because we're losing a liberal country," he said of Britain's increasing isolation. "The UK is a special case."
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Charles Muscat
Oct 19th 2012, 12:32
Hats off for the Brits. They are very very smart.
gil falzon
Oct 19th 2012, 09:42
I agree. It will be a sad day when they leave but at the same time some Europeans are sick of being looked down their noses at by the Brits.
Mr Tony Gatt
Oct 19th 2012, 15:38
You've got it wrong there. What the U.K. government is sick of is the gross waste of taxpayers' money the EU gobbles up.
John Benner
Oct 19th 2012, 15:43
How does not agreeing to measures that will be detriment to the people of the UK mean its looking down their noses to the rest of Europe , I suggest you wait till all this pans out and you see if the UK stance was not the right one or not , wait till Malta has to pay it dues .
Shaun Anthony Camilleri
Oct 19th 2012, 16:31
Also on Mr. Gatt's and Benner's note; do you think France for one that forwards itself as a leader with Germany would not be upset if Britain left the EU? They would not miss the agricultural contribution the UK dishes out to subsidise French farmers who do not want to modernise? On the other hand Mr. Cameron has not spoken of leaving the EU but taking back power to Parliament and the Courts.
Ronnie Callus
Oct 19th 2012, 08:47
This news does not augur very well to the EU member countries. They are not pulling the rope together and this for sure is going to harm. Also we are seeing that France and Germany are not going so well between them. This for sure makes the euro zone more fragile. One hopes for the best and emerge from these black clouds and turmoil.
J Tabone
Oct 19th 2012, 08:40
Britain was never much of an EU member! PM Edward Heath signed the accession treaty in 1973 - the same year that Britain, Ireland and Denmark joined the European Economic Community as it was then called. But successive governments some way or another began to distance themselves from the Community - in fact they never joined the single currency - the Euro! So it is not surprising that they want EU
Alfred J. McEwen
Oct 19th 2012, 08:37
Alfred J. McEwen
The United Kingdom is doing the right thing in getting out of the EU which consists of an overloaded and top heavy bureaucracy which interferes with the sovereignty of it`s member states. Malta should follow suit and seek a partnership and not remain as a full member thus giving it more flexibility in running it`s affairs.
George Smith
Oct 19th 2012, 08:34
Who knows !! Maybe Malta next after Britain ?
Shaun Anthony Camilleri
Oct 19th 2012, 07:45
The reason that Mr. Cameron is doing what he is doing is because he wants Britain to be first in Britain. He wants UK law to supersede EU law for example and I see nothing wrong with that. This article is concerning the opinion of the Finish European minister one of many. But he is the mister of Finland and not the UK. The UK contributes a lot to the EU so before commenting negatively please think
C Cassar
Oct 18th 2012, 23:25
The EU will be much better off without the UK. The sooner they're out the better.
Mr Tony Gatt
Oct 19th 2012, 08:35
@ C. Cassar
Yeah, right? The U.K. taxpayers are sick and tired of giving billions to countries whose governments are too spineless to gather the taxes they should be getting. As a U.K. taxpayer, I say bring it on. I'm looking forward to my tax rebate! Those countries can go begging somewhere else.
C Muscat
Oct 19th 2012, 08:47
@ C Cassar you mean Britain will be better off not any of the EU countries. Britain was shrewd from day 1 and insisted not to be wholly dominated.
We have been shown how small fish is our country and to confirm it, these eu just checked out Dalli for no more and no less than showing all that eu is the big fish.
Ross Stephen
Oct 19th 2012, 10:10
Ate you that naive to think that if the 2nd largest money contributor and 2nd largest economy was to leave that there would not be huge consequences for those who are left, who would find the short fall. We would have filled our begging bowl for the last time here in Malta
Charles Muscat
Oct 20th 2012, 03:47
WHY?????????????
Mr Tony Gatt
Oct 18th 2012, 23:23
If Britain pulls out a lot of countries will have to shake their begging bowls somewhere else.
JJ Debono
Oct 18th 2012, 23:19
Its a well known fact amongst most europeans and us the Maltese who are also euro members that Britian always proves to be a difficult country, they always want to be different then the rest of us, i say we can do without Britian and the British and Cameron and as far as i am concern they are welcome to pull out and leave the rest of us to get on with life.
Mr Tony Gatt
Oct 19th 2012, 10:25
@ JJ Debono
Be careful what you wish for. Britain wants to retain its sovereignty and can do so because it is the second biggest contributor to EU funds. How long do you think Germany is going to continue to bail out Europe if the U.K. pulls out?
Don't forget Britain joined the Common Market- not the EU superstate.
Jimmy Ventura
Oct 18th 2012, 23:13
There will soon be a strong alliance. The US, Great Britain and the Commonwealth including Malta. Just you wait.
Alan Attard
Oct 18th 2012, 22:04
Great Britain - there seems to be nothing left as being great in Britain anymore - even the Scots want to split - having the queen's image on the pound is too great to leave behind and change for the euro - the Brits are still tied to the inch, stone, mile and ounce - let alone relinquishing the pound for the euro in such challenging times - a fear of change because of past colonial dominance!
Mr Tony Gatt
Oct 19th 2012, 08:54
@ Alan Attard
In a recent poll in England, a greater proportion of people there want Scotland out of the Union than the Scots themselves do. The reason is the Scots get many more perks than the English, paid for, of course, by taxes from south of the border.
In Malta it is very fashionable to talk about British colonialism- the E.U. version will be far worse, chaired by unelected Eurocrats.
Ross Stephen
Oct 19th 2012, 10:14
Great Britain has no fear of change. We have the attitude of we can do better, and we have had enought of be dictated to by a corupte elite that waste our money in Europe and curb our growth. Also time has shown that still the Euro currency came in to being the Pound has always remained strong than it and that sir is why we will never give up sterling
Terry COURTNADGE
Oct 19th 2012, 12:38
Great Britain was named by our Roman Colonial masters to distinguish it from 'petit' Brittany in France.
Britain OFFICIALLY adopted metric measurments years ago but keeps road distances in miles to save the expense of changing thousands of road signs. The pound (sterling lira) was created by the Romans as was the old (Imperial) measures. You're welcome to the Euro.
Mr Tony Gatt
Oct 19th 2012, 15:51
@ Alan Attard
I was taught at school that the L.S.D. of British coinage stood for Liri, Solidi and Denarii- Latin names. Many economists think the euro will soon be toast, but I don't know the Latin name for that.
Alan Attard
Oct 19th 2012, 23:15
@ Tony Gatt
What you did not say about the economists who think the euro will be toast is that these same economists were leading financial firms such as Lehmann Brothers and crippled the world. Instead of being behind bars serving time, they have set up shop in London with their lurid way of conducting a business. BTW the Latin word for toast is tostare
Alan Attard
Oct 19th 2012, 23:29
@Tony Gatt
The L in L.S.D. of coinage is for LIBRA (LIBRAE in plural) and not LIRI - standing for a pound weight in Latin - you need to brush up your Latin!
Malcolm Seychell
Oct 18th 2012, 20:52
The best choice for everyone. Get our of Europe .It is a dicatorship. They want to control what we believe, what we say, what the country wants to do, wants more power, etc etc
Please choose the reason of your report below: