I turned 45 yesterday and had planned a quiet day with my lovely wife and visiting mother.
But when Patrick Sommerlath of Nobile invited me to debate the future of Europe with CNN’s Richard Quest, Ericsson’s CEO Hans Vestberg and Elizabeth Thand Ringqvist of Företagarna, with Per Schlingmann as moderator, I cast aside thoughts of an evening game of scrabble with the Mrs Johnstons and headed to the Absolut Atelier!
I majored on the big challenges facing Europe, as set out in David Cameron’s Bloomberg speech in January:
- Competitiveness: Europe is 7% of the world’s economy, 22% of its population, but accounts for 50% of its social spending. How do we compete in what the PM calls the global race without losing what makes European societies good to live in?
- Sorting the Eurozone: how to allow for integration among the members of the single currency project in such a way as preserves the EU’s Single Market, as the driver of growth and jobs for all the citizens of all the member states?
- Democratic accountability: how to close the dangerous gap between the European institutions and people in the member states, including through developing the role of national parliaments and the role of elected Ministers in the Council?
We had a good debate, and as always I was encouraged to find that the UK analysis attracted a lot of support and understanding from a Swedish audience.
The task for all Europe’s leaders now is to work on the solutions…Britain’s keen to engaged in a reform process to develop an economically liberal outward facing EU, equipped for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century world.
Paul
Paul Johnston
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