Fabian Society poll reveals British public wants EU states to co-operate more on major policy issues such as climate change The British public wants European Union member states to co-operate more – not less – on major policy issues including climate change, the fight against international crime and regulating banks, according to a poll on attitudes to the EU. A YouGov survey, to be released in the new year by the Fabian Society and the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, shows that, while anti-Brussels feeling is still deep-rooted, Britons now want the EU to be more active in meeting specific international and global challenges. While almost twice as many people (45%) believe Britain's membership of the EU to be a "bad thing" rather than a "good thing" (25%), when asked what role the EU should take in relation to key policies of global significance they are far more positive. About 71% of those questioned said EU countries should co-operate more closely on fighting terrorism and international crime, against only 7% who wanted to loosen links between member states in that area. A total of 55% thought member states should work more closely on climate change, against 14% who thought they should co-operate less. About 53% said they should do more to regulate the banks jointly, against 25% who said they should do less. Even on core economic policy – the area in which successive UK governments have tried to prevent national sovereignty being transferred to Brussels – more people take the view that EU member states should work together than believe they should not. About 45% said the EU's 27 member countries should do more collectively to help recover from the recession and solve the financial crisis, against 30% who believed they should do less. Sunder Katwala, general secretary of the Fabian Society, said the poll showed that while eurosceptics had been successful in "demonising" the EU as an institution they had failed to persuade that its work was all bad. The poll figures also explained why the foreign secretary, William Hague, who had pledged to take the fight to Brussels before the general election, had changed his mind afterwards in favour of a more conciliatory approach. Katwala said: "He has realised you can't govern on simple slogans. He seems to lack the stomach for refighting those old battles. The Tory eurosceptics threatened a new political civil war if the government did not fundamentally renegotiate British membership in this parliament. This now looks an empty threat." Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said institutions such as the European commission, the Council of Ministers and the European parliament had always been unpopular because they were "inherently unlovable". "But it is encouraging that that the British people do appear to realise that one middle-sized European country can actually achieve more in many areas of policy if it acts with its neighbours than if it tries to go it alone," said Grant. The poll also found that 55% of people now believe the EU should agree common regulations across all member states to discourage companies relocating to other member states with lower taxes and fewer regulations, against 27% who do not. Some 47% of people believe the EU should agree minimum levels of taxation on large businesses, while 34% do not.Britons want European Union to assert itself on the global stage
Monday, 27 December 2010
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