Keith Vaz – 2000 Speech on Working to Advance Common European Interests
The speech made by Keith Vaz, the then Minister for Europe, at Lancaster House in London on 18 July 2000.
I’m delighted to be co-hosting this Forum today with the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Local Government International Bureau (LGIB).
When I contributed an article to your ‘European Information Service’ publication in March, I resolved to do more – as Minister for Europe – with Britain’s local government representatives.
That I stand before you today – in the splendours of the FCO’s Lancaster House, co-hosting this Forum with the LGA/LGIB – is testament to how far we have collectively come in this short time. But there is much more that we can do together – because we share a common interest in relation to European, and indeed wider international affairs.
One of our key interests has to be – as the conference suggests – bringing Europe closer to the citizen, and that is a task that local government is particularly well-placed to do. Taking messages about Europe to the British public is also an objective which I am heavily involved with as Minister for Europe.
Being so focused on the British public may not be traditional for Foreign Office Ministers, but it is an approach to which I attach considerable importance – hence my desire to co-host this conference, and speak to you today about Europe.
GOVERNMENT POLICY ON EUROPE
The Government came to power with a clear commitment to being ‘pro-Europe, pro-reform’ – and we have remained committed to it. We are ‘pro-Europe’ because EU membership is good for Britain – it is good for our economy, good for our citizens, good for our environment, and good for British jobs. Independent research has revealed that 3.5 million British jobs, one seventh of all UK income and production depend on sales to European countries.
It is also good for Britain’s local communities: in the past, local links to Europe sometimes meant little more than symbolic ‘town twinning’. It is interesting that twinning itself has now in many cases taken on a more strategic dimension, being incorporated into European and international perspectives of the more forward-thinking local authorities.
Today, Britain’s local governments have embraced European relationships in a more comprehensive way, ensuring that the interests of the communities they serve are taken forward in Europe – and above all ensuring that local interests are well served by Europe, whether in terms of structural assistance or funding for creative projects.
However, often the general impression given is that many authorities are mainly interested in European relationships for the financial assistance that EU programmes bring, and in particular the monies available for regional structural funding. As such, local authorities often appear as supplicants to the Commission, (and indeed sometimes to central government), rather than stockholders in a richer, more egalitarian relationship.
I am therefore extremely pleased to see that there is now a growing emphasis within local government on pursuing a dialogue on a programme of policy development with the European institutions, in areas as diverse as food safety to social inclusion, and from innovation policy to media, sport and related cultural and economic activities.
Whilst some of this policy development work may indeed carry financial benefits, very often the relationship involves using the expertise within local government to influence European policies and legislation at source, as part as the wider process of serving the citizen. It is in serving the citizen that central and local government can develop a dialogue on shared interests with regard to Europe.
In three short years, the Government has built on this ‘pro-Europe’ commitment, pursuing a step change in Britain’s relations with our EU Partners, and a sea change in Europe’s policies.
And we have achieved these goals by engaging positively with our European partners – not by standing on the sidelines of Europe, simply complaining about our lot, but actively seeking to shape the agenda and our future in Europe. In many ways, such an approach is nothing new for local councils up and down Britain, who have known for a long time that positive engagement with Europe is an absolute necessity – we in central government now heartily agree!
And central government’s engagement with Europe is paying dividends for Britain: let me take the recent Lisbon European Council as an example. In the run-up to this summit in March, we demonstrated the step-change in our relations with our EU Partners by agreeing bilateral policy initiatives with nine of our Partners. These nine policy initiatives in turn shaped the agenda that was to be discussed at Lisbon, the agenda of ‘economic reform’ which the UK had been advocating for over a year.
The successful outcome from the summit was – to quote the Prime Minister – a ‘sea-change in European economic thinking – away from heavy-handed intervention… towards a new approach based on enterprise, innovation and competition’. Britain’s agenda on economic reform had become Europe’s economic agenda.
Despite this progress, what then concerned me – as Minister for Europe – was whether the British public – bombarded with scare stories about Europe in the press – was aware of these solid British successes.
YOUR BRITAIN, YOUR EUROPE
That is where my information initiative – entitled ‘Your Britain, Your Europe’, under which today’s conference has been organised – comes in. When the Prime Minister appointed me Minister for Europe last year, he gave me a clear remit to take the message about the Government’s policy towards Europe to a wider British audience.
The ‘Your Britain, Your Europe’ initiative is intended to take information about the benefits to Britain of EU membership to that wider public – to bring Europe closer to the British citizen.
To date, my key ‘public diplomacy’ activities have included a week-long roadshow to eleven English cities late last year, a seminar for British businessmen and women at Canary Wharf on economic reform and Lisbon, an open day at the Foreign Office to mark ‘Europe Day’, and today’s conference with the LGA.
I have also started a series of ‘city visits’ – with the help of numerous city councils – that take me to a new city every fortnight or so: we started with Leeds back in May, and have so far since been to Liverpool, Norwich and Southampton.
On Friday, I shall be on a ‘city visit’ to Edinburgh with the Foreign Secretary, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and members of both the Scottish Executive and Edinburgh City Council.
We – that is Central Government, the devolved administration and the local government council – shall all be taking the same message to a local audience at the same time.
As such, we are breaking new ground for the FCO in terms of cooperation among the spheres of government in the UK – and all in the ‘pro-Europe’ cause of explaining to the public the benefits to Britain of EU membership
PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CENTRAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Let me just say a word about that cooperation. Members of central and local government formally pursue issues of interest through the ‘Central/Local Partnership’, and those involved consider if a range of European and international matters could have a place within that very useful mechanism for dialogue.
This is because we are in fact all part of a much wider, more informal network. Alongside central and local government, this network incorporates the UK’s new devolved administrations – including of course London, represented today by Mr Lee Jasper- and reaching over to the EU institutions in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.
As part of that network, our Permanent Representative in Brussels – I am aware – has for a long time valued his connections to representatives of Britain’s local governments, not least through the Brussels office of the LGA/LGIB, one of our co-hosts at this forum today.
I know that our new man in Brussels – Nigel Sheinwald, who takes up his post in September – is equally keen to maintain these contacts. Such networks don’t require new and formal structures – but they do need dialogue, and if there is one message that I would like you to take away from today’s conference, it’s the following:
on European affairs, I – as Minister for Europe – am also open for business, open to your ideas and open to dialogue: today’s conference could usefully mark the start of a joint commitment to such an informal partnership and dialogue, as I know that local government is equally open to sharing ideas with me on the European and international dimension.
The same is true of our network of Embassies throughout Europe: they too stand ready to assist you in contacts with our European Partners, and I trust you’ll make use of them.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND EUROPE: KOSOVO
Such ‘partnership’ can never be a one-way process: let me give an example. Ten days ago, I held a conference with Chris Patten – Britain’s Commissioner responsible for external relations – on the Balkans, and how we are ‘Europeanising’ this area of South Eastern Europe.
In the process, I have learnt much of British local government’s involvement in Kosovo. Following the crisis there last year, Britain’s local government representatives have been actively involved in the reconstruction of this corner of Europe.
With the collapse of civil society in Kosovo, the need to ‘rebuild’ democratic life is proving as important as reconstructing the material infrastructure. Representatives of local government are ideally placed – and apparently well-respected on the ground – to advise their counterparts in the rest of Europe.
In this sense, they have been ‘Ambassadors for Britain’ – and often fine ones at that too!
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND EUROPE: ‘SMART CITIES’ AND GOVERNANCE
Such examples of our local government’s activism in Europe are crucial to correct some stereotypes, and in particular to correct the general impression, mentioned earlier, that relations with Europe are primarily about accessing EU money through the Structural Funds. Local authorities are not simply beneficiaries of EU regional funding: they are stakeholders in a much richer relationship.
While I do not wish to belittle the benefits of structural fund spending in the UK – and I was recently in Liverpool, seeing the real benefits of its special Objective 1 status – we should highlight other aspects of the relationship with Europe, and in particular networking to influence the European policy and legislative processes, that I have referred to above.
Let me leave you with two further examples:
First, recently I visited Southampton, a great European city that is clearly prospering; it is not, therefore, a candidate for the obvious structural funding that many associate with Europe’s largesse. I was nevertheless struck by a particularly creative project that the city council had launched, and which had attracted a high level of European interest.
It had also attracted some financial assistance, not from the Structural Funds but from the European Fifth Framework Programme for Research and Development, under the IST programme. Southampton city council won EU support for its launch of a ‘smart card’ that will give local citizens access to the full range of city services and facilities, and the ability to pay for them with the same card.
Financial assistance from the IST programme, essential to the project, came about as a consequence of the Commission being convinced of the viability and the attractiveness of the idea.
The ‘SmartCities’ project – a world-first! – is an excellent example to us all of how creative one can be in our relations with Europe, highlighting the innovation of our ideas and helping to influence pan-European initiatives in a very positive way. All regions and cities, whatever their economic condition, can similarly exploit their ideas, their diversity and their creativity within this broader European framework, not only to gain funds but to gain influence, credibility and partners.
Second, a quick word on the issue of ‘governance’ within Europe, on which the Commission President will be producing a White Paper early next year. This is a serious issue: it’s about how the various spheres of government throughout the EU – local, regional, national and European – deliver ‘governance’ for their citizens.
This issue is about how Europe functions, how it makes shared competences work, how Europe decides, how it legislates, how it allocates resources – the bread and butter issues for our citizens… Because, at the end of the day, all politics is local: the EU isn’t about what happens in Brussels – it’s about what happens in Bradford or Birmingham or Berkshire.
Through the LGA and the Committee of the Regions, you are already making your ‘local’ voices heard in these debates: I would be interested in hearing more of your views on this subject, perhaps in the Question/Answer session that is about to follow.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let me draw out three strands from what I’ve said.
First, Central Government is now committed to making a success of Britain’s EU membership, and explaining to the British people the benefits we get from that membership. We are making headway with our ‘pro-Europe, pro-reform’ agenda: now we need to disseminate that information.
Second, Britain’s relationship with Europe operates through all the ‘spheres’ of government – from local government efforts in Kosovo to summits of the EU Member States. European governance is the better for it, as is the UK’s relationship with its EU Partners: the informal networks bring us together more successfully than mere institutions alone would.
Finally, we need a true partnership among Britain’s spheres of government in pursuit of our European objectives, and in explaining to all our citizens the benefits we thereby gain: we have much to learn from each other, much to offer, and much to do.
That is why I stand before you today and express my interest in dialogue and in partnership: I look forward to hearing from you, and working with you in the future to advance our common European interests.
