Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-08-Speech-3-013-000"
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"en.20110608.3.3-013-000"2
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"Mr President, I have here the letter from the representative of Her Majesty’s Government on the SURE report. The letter says that Her Majesty’s Government is disappointed by the draft SURE report. Colleagues, I think that means that we have a very good draft SURE report here today!
I have to tell you that beyond the three or four words saying that Her Majesty’s Government is disappointed by the report, the other parts of the letter are a real provocation: a provocation to Europe and the European Union, because their main point is that no increase in the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) is possible, and that we have to stick to the old MFF, the same figures, the same resources, naturally the same rebates, and certainly the same rebate for the UK. We must change nothing at all.
Her Majesty’s Government is nevertheless a government that wants to take decisions, that wants to reform not only the UK but also the European Union. So I do not see why we have to stick to the old MFF and simply continue with the policies of the past. I think that the time is now ripe to say to the public that it is not by cutting this EU budget of 1% [EU GDP] that we will solve the fiscal consolidation of the different Member States of the European Union. This 1% is only one-fortieth of the total expenditure within the European Union.
There are other ways to make savings. Another suggestion that we can make to Her Majesty’s Government is that, if it wants to make savings in the British public sector, it can do so by increasing the role of the European Union.
Let me give you three examples. First of all, foreign policy. In the US, there are 28 000 diplomats. In Europe there are 93 000: there are four times more diplomats in Europe because we are not working together under a single foreign policy. There is a saving to be made there. If the British Government invested more in the European Union, they could make savings on their foreign policy, in William Hague’s department. Another example is monetary policy. Around 44 000 people are responsible for monetary policy in the European Union. In the US, there are 18 000 in the Federal Reserve Board. That is three times fewer civil servants.
If the British Government wants to make savings, it can join the euro, it can give the European Union more powers and responsibilities, and it can make savings with regard to all those people working on monetary policy in Britain. If it wants to make savings in Great Britain, it can do so in the research sector simply by adopting the European patent immediately. That would make enormous savings in its research budget. That is the answer that we have to give to Her Majesty’s Government."@en1
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