Britain's David Cameron has attacked “pointless” European Union rules and regulations that he says are stifling growth as the union battles the euro zone crisis.
The prime minister called for “fundamental reform” in Europe as he lambasted “out-of-touch” EU institutions demanding budget increases at a time of austerity for their citizens.
In his annual foreign policy speech to the Lord Mayor of London’s banquet, he dismissed talk of “grand plans and utopian visions” and called for a looser EU with “the flexibility of a network, not the rigidity of a bloc”.
His comments were in sharp contrast to German chancellor Angela Merkel who has said dealing with the problems of the euro zone did not mean “less Europe, but more”.
Mr Cameron - who pointedly described himself as among the “sceptics” on Europe - acknowledged the immediate priority for the EU was restoring growth and tackling the debt crisis.“
“Unless we get a grip on growth the European Union will remain an organisation in peril representing a continent in trouble,” he said.
However, he said the current crisis also offered an opportunity to undertake fundamental reform and address long-standing problems afflicting the EU.
“It’s how out of touch the EU has become when its institutions are demanding budget increases while Europe’s citizens tighten their belts. It’s the pointless interference, rules and regulations that stifle growth not unleash it,” he said.
“The sense that the EU is somehow an abstract end in itself, immune from developments in the real world, rather than a means of helping to deliver better living standards for the people of its nations. It does not have to be like this," the prime minister said.
Mr Cameron said that while he wanted to see powers to “ebb back” to Britain, for the EU as a whole it was a chance to ask: “What kind of Europe do we actually want?”
“For me, the answer is clear,” he said. “One that is outward-looking - with its eyes to the world not gazing inwards. One with the flexibility of a network, not the rigidity of a bloc - whose institutions help by connecting and strengthening its members to thrive in a vibrant world, rather than holding them back.
“One that understands and values national identity and sees the diversity of Europe’s nations as a source of strength.”
While Mr Cameron stressed that leaving the EU was not in Britain’s national interest, he strongly defended those arguing that they should be “doing less” at a European level.
“For too long, the European Union has tried to make reality fit its institutions. But you can only succeed in the long run if the institutions fit the reality,” he said.
“For years people who have suggested doing less at European level have been accused of not being committed to a successful European Union.
“But we sceptics have a vital point. We should look sceptically at grand plans and utopian visions. We’ve a right to ask what the European Union should and shouldn’t do - and change it accordingly.”
In contrast, Mrs Merkel told her Christian Democratic Union party conference in Leipzig that the EU’s treaties would have to be overhauled to create a tighter political union.
She described the euro as “the symbol of Europe’s unification” as the continent faced its “most difficult hours since the second World War”.
“We must develop the European Union’s structure further,” she said. “That does not mean less Europe, but more. That means creating a Europe that ensures that the euro has a future.”
PA
