Jim Murphy

French Presidency Preparations

With just a week to go until the French Presidency of the EU kicks off (and the Slovenians get a well deserved summer break) I'm off to Paris this afternoon to see French Europe Minister Jean Pierre Jouyet. We've spoken by phone over the last couple of weeks, as I have to a number of my European counterparts following the Irish No vote, but it's good to see him face to face, and reinforce the UK's support for the French government's work on climate change, migration policy and European defence.
 
I left for Paris straight after Oral Questions from MPs to Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers in the House of Commons earlier today. After a debate on the European Council last week, and the PM's statement on it yesterday, it was good to focus on some questions about what the UK and EU are doing to actually help people - tackling human trafficking for example. See what was said in Oral Questions, and other debates in the House of Commons.

Posted at 18:43 24 June 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[3]

Better regulation, more innovation

Prague has changed so much from when I came here as a tourist years ago. I saw an advertisement which reminded me just how much it has changed. It was a tourist poster for the Museum of Communism - and if that wasn't enough, the poster added helpfully that it was situated above the McDonald's restaurant!

The Czech Republic will hold the Presidency of the EU in the first half of next year. I was in Prague to discuss 'Better Regulation' with the Czech Deputy Prime Minister Vondra and representatives from Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Estonia.

In a nutshell, 'Better Regulation' is about the countries in the EU reducing unnecessary bureaucracy to encourage competitiveness and making sure any new EU legislation is justified. That might sound obvious. And in recent years we have made progress. But as always there's more to do, and the new economic challenges and opportunities presented by the rise of economies such as India and China make the need for action even greater. We need to make sure that our approach to regulation across the EU supports innovation and job creation and drives a green agenda.

So I was delighted that the representatives from all seven countries signed a commitment to work together on this.

As I said in my speech this afternoon, quoting a former Professor at Prague's famous Charles University, Albert Einstein, "Any fool can make things bigger and more complex. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction".

We've a long way to go. But the UK Government is determined to work with the Czechs and others to improve the EU's competitiveness.

Posted at 11:00 15 May 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[1]

Towards a Green Collar Europe

What would a high-growth, low-carbon economy look like?

I was delighted to have the opportunity to discuss this and other questions with my colleague, the French Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet, and a panel of speakers from business, trade unions and civil society at the fourth Global Europe seminar today. As we approach the incoming French Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2008, I welcome the strong leadership that the French Government has shown on the climate change agenda.

It's clear that a low-carbon economy depends on more than a shift to new, cleaner technologies. We also need skills, expertise in research, innovation, carbon finance, construction and many other sectors to support the new economy. In short, we need green skills as much as we need green energy. Across Europe a 20 per cent increase in energy efficiency would create a million jobs. The UK's environmental industries already employ some 400,000 people - by 2050 that could rise to well over a million. These are the 'green collar' jobs of the seminar title, and in future we want the UK economy to offer a mix of good blue collar, good white collar and good green collar jobs. As participants around the table agreed, getting us there will require a transformational shift in the way our economy is structured. The EU Budget and the Lisbon jobs and growth strategy both have important parts to play.

There were many insights to be taken away from the seminar, and I will be following these up with all the groups that joined us for the discussion today.

Posted at 17:04 08 May 2008 by Jim Murphy  |  Comments[2]