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outubro 15, 2004
Tough talking on two-speed Europe
[Fonte: The Times]
TONY BLAIR warned France and Germany to respect the wishes of other European countries, and not to join forces to push ahead with further political integration.
In unusually strong language, he signalled a hardening of his position on Europe, saying: “We should reject any suggestion of inner or outer cores of Europe.”
France, Germany, and Belgium have been dismayed that the addition of ten mainly Eastern European countries to the EU has apparantly brought the process of political integration to a halt. Leaders from those countries have talked openly about creating a two-speed Europe, with an “inner core” of the founding members who push ahead with further integration, such as harmonising taxes.
Britain has previously taken a fairly relaxed attitude on the issue, however Mr Blair firmly rejected the idea of a “multispeed” Europe yesterday, with Britain and Eastern Europe in the “slow lane”.
Writing in a Hungarian newspaper, as he attended a conference of centre-left leaders in Budapest, he wrote: “We need a European Union in which all countries — big or small, old members or new — are equal. It is up to old members to demonstrate to the new that the EU now also belongs to them.” Although he didn’t mention France and Germany by name, it was a clear reference to them.
Publicado por jpdias às outubro 15, 2004 11:48 PM