Jim Murphy

Business priorities for a Global Europe

I said in my speech at the LSE last week that one of the challenges facing the EU (and one which is rarely mentioned) is the 92 million people across Europe* who are economically inactive. That's more than the population of Scandinavia and the ten newest EU Member States combined.

It's a challenge which can be tackled through partnerships - between European Governments, but also between Governments and businesses. As the Prime Minister said in his speech to British business leaders on Monday, in order to create a prosperous Europe with jobs and opportunities, we need even more flexibility and competitiveness. With China and India turning out nearly 2 million more graduates than Europe every year, we have to add to the skills of everyone in our economy - we can't afford to write off any adult or young person.

I heard a range of views from the business community at the conference, which was addressed by leading CEOs, including Roger Carr of Centrica, Sir Michael Rake, of BT, and Paul Skinner of Rio Tinto. Delegates stressed the need for further economic reform. With over 60% of our trade being with Europe, the EU is key to the success of business in the UK and to jobs and growth. It's also clear that the strength and stability of the UK and European economies can provide a foundation for the role of the EU in the wider world - working for a safer, greener, more prosperous and more secure environment for us all.

A href="http://ec.europa.eu/employment_social/employment_analysis/eie/eie2005_summary_en.pdf">* Employment in Europe 2005

Posted at 17:37 16 January 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[2]