First the red lines then the red carpet

The UK’s Minister for Europe David Lidington has used the speech in the Netherlands to restate the argument for enlarging the EU. The UK has always supported the EU’s enlargement because we know this is in our national interest. It creates a bigger single market for our goods and services. It promotes competition and innovation. The movement of workers within the EU, properly managed, can bring great benefits to our economy. And so we want to see the process continued.

Romania and the UK are of the same mind of this. We both want to see Turkey join the European Union. We look forward to the EU extending into the Western Balkans. And as David Lidington made clear during his visit to Bucharest last autumn, we see a future for Moldova in the EU too.

Enlargement needs to be condition-based. There can be no dilution of the values and standards that bind EU countries together. David Lidington used a Dutch phrase – “First the red lines then the carpet”. But again, it is in the EU’s interest to promote and encourage those values throughout its neighbourhood (including today in the Middle East). We strengthen the single market by enlarging it.