Jobs and growth on the agenda of European liberal leaders meeting
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Leading Government Ministers, Party Leaders and European Commissioners from Liberal Democratic parties across Europe are meeting in London today at the invitation of Sir Graham Watson MEP, president of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR) and UK Deputy Prime Minister, Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP. The main topics addressed are European economic growth; the eurozone and treaty change and the Multi-Annual Financial Framework.
Prior to the meeting, ELDR president Sir Graham Watson MEP stated: "Finding a credible solution to the economic crisis remains the number one priority. This will inevitably require greater fiscal coordination, discipline and solidarity among Eurozone countries. The draft Reinforced Economic Union (REU) Treaty under discussion at present is one step in this regard. But fiscal austerity alone cannot solve our problems. Unless we tackle the underlying cause of the crisis – Europe’s chronic lack of competiveness in the global economy – this crisis will be the first of many more to come."
"What Europe needs is an urgent and far-reaching reform agenda to unlock jobs and economic growth across the Union; a European liberal agenda for the 21st century. Europe has done this before, and reaped the rewards: the Single Market Programme of the 80s and 90s was a truly remarkable liberal achievement, tearing down trade barriers within Europe and unlocking unprecedented levels of new jobs, growth and prosperity. We need to recapture this level of ambition."
European Liberal Democrats in Government therefore call on all European leaders and institutions to use the extraordinary summit at the end of this month to drive forward a plan for jobs and growth in Europe.
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