Jim Murphy

Delivering global Europe

During my nine months as Europe Minister, many of the questions I've been called on to answer have been about the EU's Treaties and institutions, about voting weights or Commission competences.

I've said before that I believe that the EU needs to move on from the inward-looking institutional questions and focus on the issues that matter most to people in the UK and the EU's other Member States. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have outlined their vision of an "open, outward-looking, flexible, global Europe." To me, Global Europe is about how the EU can help us to find solutions to the pressing issues where the need for international co-operation is greatest. How we pursue effective collective action to find climate security or fight illegal immigration. Or how we maximise employment whilst maintaining competitiveness.

That's why I've launched a series of seminars, beginning this month, that will bring together representatives from Government and civil society in London, Madrid and Prague.

The first seminar, yesterday, opened the series by looking at how Governments across Europe can work with civil society in developing effective European policies. I was delighted to have a chance to take part in a discussion with representatives from a wide range of organisations, such as the NSPCC, Salvation Army, Royal National Institute of Blind People and Samaritans. There were many questions posed at the seminar that I'll be following up on, and I look forward to many more as the series progresses. I hope that these discussions will encourage a British and European conversation about how we can ensure the EU delivers real value for UK and EU citizens.

Posted at 18:35 22 April 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[2]