British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Spain this week where he met Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in an attempt to win over those opposed to his vision of a reformed Europe.
David Cameron is fighting an uphill battle
Cameron feels that now is the time to introduce changes to the European Union Treaty because he feels that the EU is stretching itself too thin across its wide range of policy areas.
His visit to Madrid was due to be followed by a working dinner with French President Francois Hollande. However, he had to cut his European tour short when it had barely even begun to rush back home after receiving word that Baroness Margaret Thatcher had passed away.
He is expected to travel to Germany on Friday to meet with German Chancellor Angel Merkel to present to her his plan for a reformed Europe.
In January, Cameron announced he would hold an in or out referendum as support for the EU in Britain is waning. He hopes to present British voters with the option of remaining in a reformed EU. He has previously declared he feels the best option for Britain is membership of a reformed Europe.
His view in this regard has attracted a great deal of criticism from other EU leaders, including Hollande and Merkel, who have accused Britain of wanting to pick and choose the EU policy to which it subscribes. Indeed, the visits this week are part of Cameron’s plan to convince the opposition that treaty reforms are necessary, especially in light of the economic crisis.
His vision of a reformed EU envisages a more flexible Europe as opposed to further integration, which is favoured by other leaders. Cameron views flexibility as a way to strengthen the EU rather than increasing uncertainty. However, the danger with a more flexible Europe is that it would create an EU that will move at different speeds and, possibly, in different directions. This could lead to a more complex EU with no uniform application of policies.
There is also the risk that some member States, particularly smaller ones, could be left behind. Yet, the British Prime Minister feels that a flexible Europe would benefit all member States. He stands firm in his opinion that non-eurozone members are entitled to ask for treaty changes that will benefit them as well as putting Europe in a better place to compete globally with countries such as China and India.
Cameron is however fighting an uphill battle. It has been reported that both France and Germany are still strongly opposed to his plan and are not likely to budge. This is evident by the fact that both countries are still refusing to join an EU-led Foreign Office, which would review EU powers and make suggestions as to which should be returned to member States.
EU President Herman van Rompuy recently reiterated the lack of support for Cameron’s reform plan. Van Rompuy emphasised that there will be no major treaty changes in the near future. Instead, EU leaders will be continuing to focus on shoring up the eurozone.
Pushing for a reformed EU and treaty changes is the main objective of Cameron’s meetings with EU leaders. However, while on his European tour, the British Prime Minister will use the opportunity to discuss Britain’s G8 priorities. These priority issues include trade with the US following the recent announcement intended to create a free trade agreement between the US and the EU, increasing tax compliance to prevent tax evasion and address the situation in Syria.
David Casa is a Nationalist MEP.