A blueprint for reform of the European Union

If the United Kingdom Prime Minister’s EU negotiations are to be judged a success the forthcoming In/Out referendum should not simply be a vote to approve or reject a list of concessions to the UK but rather a mandate for a path to rolling reform. The target should be a new settlement that leads to a genuine change of direction to Britain’s relationship with the EU. It may not be possible to achieve everything before the referendum but, in order to avoid a narrow victory for Yes or No, which would only estrange half the British electorate, fundamental reform will be needed that establishes a path to a multi-form EU.

Open Europe’s blueprint for reform identifies a series of 11 reforms under three headings – Flexibility and the rights of non-Eurozone states; Competitiveness; and Democratic accountability – which would contribute to the overarching objective of setting a new direction for the EU.

• Primary Source

ESO: In Focus: Brexit - The United Kingdom and the European Union http://www.europeansources.info/record/brexit-the-united-kingdom-and-the-european-union/

ESO: Background information: Appeal of ending ever closer union stretches well beyond the UK http://www.europeansources.info/record/appeal-of-ending-ever-closer-union-stretches-well-beyond-the-uk/

ESO: Background information: Osborne starts off EU reform roadshow in Paris. Cameron planning June 2016 EU vote http://www.europeansources.info/record/osborne-starts-off-eu-reform-roadshow-in-paris-cameron-planning-june-2016-eu-vote/

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