From the Foreign Secretary

Sir, I welcome your further editorial on the detail of the EU reform treaty and the UK’s “red lines”, but signing the treaty will not, as you suggest (“Last-minute lawmaking ”, Oct 16) “be tantamount to signing a blank cheque”. Only in certain specific circumstances might the UK bear the costs of its withdrawal from joint EU measures, and the treaty text specifies that this applies only to “the direct financial consequences, if any, necessarily and unavoidably incurred as a result of its cessation of its participation in these acts”. There is no question of the UK being fined or otherwise punished.

For instance, in the unlikely event that the UK decided to stop taking part in Eurojust (the EU agency for co-ordinating investigations into serious crime), it would be reasonable for the UK to meet the cost of bringing UK staff home from Eurojust and settling their contracts. But we would not be fined.

And the bigger, more important point is that our red line on justice and home affairs (JHA) issues is absolutely secure — we have retained the right to choose whether or not to participate, across the board and in all circumstances.

David Miliband
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

Sir, We favour the ratification of the draft European reform treaty on the basis of the current text. The measures contained in the treaty aimed at institutional reform are in the UK’s and the EU’s interests. Any large business or organisation which increased its membership so rapidly, as the EU has done in recent years, would require internal reform.

By introducing measures such as ending the rotating presidency, streamlining the Commission and rebalancing the votes in the Council, the EU will function in a more effective way. As a result of the treaty, the UK’s share of voting in the Council increases by 45 per cent.

The treaty accommodates British sensitivities, with effective opt-outs on the Charter of Fundamental Rights and JHA measures, which have been strengthened from the text of the constitutional treaty. The business community has a lot to gain from a strong single market of 500 million people, with more effective institutions to police and enforce its rules.

As the UK’s largest trading partner, and the forum through which we can help address to issues such as climate change, energy security and the rise of China and India, the EU is crucial to the UK’s long-term interests. The passage of the reform treaty will give the EU better tools and machinery and it will allow the EU to draw a line under its long-running institutional debate and focus on policy delivery as it enters its second half-century.

Lord Brittan of Spennithorne
Roger Carr, Chairman, Centrica
Guy Dawson, Founding Partner, Tricorn Partners
Paul Marshall, Chairman, Marshall Wace Asset Management
Vijay Patel, CEO, Waymade Healthcare
Stuart Popham, Senior Partner, Clifford Chance
Roland Rudd, Chairman, Business for New Europe
Bill Thomas, President — Europe, Middle East & Africa, EDS
Rosemary Thorne, Non-Executive Director, Abbey National
Lord Tugendhat, Senior Adviser, Lehman Brothers
Lord John Kerr, Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell

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