Prime Minister Tony Blair is expecting a ‘tough negotiation’ when he discusses the new EU constitution with other European leaders later today.
Speaking to journalists prior to the talks (11 December), Mr Blair said it was important the right decisions are taken to make Europe work effectively.
Read the transcript of the doorstep interview in full
Prime Minister
There is no doubt at all it is going to be a tough negotiation. Europe is becoming a Europe of 25. It is a huge change for Europe, and we have got to make sure that we take the right decisions for the economy, for security, that aren’t just in the British interest, although that is obviously very important for me, but also make Europe work effectively. So of course it is going to be a tough negotiation.
Question and Answer Session
Question
Do you feel any of your red lines are …
Prime Minister
No, because what we want is a Europe that as it enlarges becomes a Europe of 25; is a Europe that has economic dynamism, that protects our security properly, that cooperates where Europe should cooperate, which is why it is so important that Britain is at the centre of Europe, but which understands very well it is a Europe of nation states. So on issues like tax, and defence, and foreign policy, these are issues that we have to decide as nation states, and I think that is actually where the gathering consensus in Europe is today.
Question
But the draft doesn’t say that at the moment on foreign affairs, does it, for example?
Prime Minister
Well there are certain changes that we will need in the draft, but I think the basic move in Europe is actually against a European federal superstate. I think that is an idea whose time has passed, and I think what most people understand, with 25 countries, especially with 10 new countries coming in, some of whom have struggled long and hard to become nations, that they are not going to give up that nationhood. And what,as I say, we have got to do is have a Europe that is working hard to cooperate in the areas where we should cooperate. And we need to cooperate, like for example making the single market work effectively in Europe for the benefit of our industry, and jobs, and consumers, but making it absolutely clear on things like tax rates, that is for individual parliaments and nations to decide.
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