Author: Orkhan Sattarov, head of European office of VK
With the approach of a speech by the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, about the prospects of his country's relations with the European Union, which has been already called by many "life-changing", international pressure on London is rapidly increasing. Continental Europe, led by Germany is seriously concerned about the prospect of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, as European politicians have recently voiced openly. Permanent European Council President Herman Van Rompuy has urged London "to remain a full, active and leading" member of the EU. The Irish Prime Minister, Enda Kenny, has said that the UK's withdrawal from the European Union would be "catastrophic." The President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, speaking at a press conference in Dublin, also said that the EU is interested in the membership of the UK in the EU. However, he stressed that it is up to the people of this country to decide.
At around the same time, official German authorities sent a Bundestag delegation to London for talks with British colleagues in the parliament. In turn, the authoritative newspaper the Financial Times published an open letter written by the most influential British businessmen, in which they expressed their concerns about the negative consequences that Cameron's plans to revise relations with the EU might have on business. They warned the prime minister that a change in relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union could cause a sharp decrease in British exports to the EU, and an economic crisis in the country. "We need to act very carefully and not seek to completely revise the founding principles of our membership in the EU," the letter says. The open letter was signed among others by Director General of the London Stock Exchange, Christopher Gibson-Smith, the president of the Confederation of British Industry, Robert Carr, and the head of the British telecommunications company "British Telecom", Michael Rakel.
Finally, the US also voiced their concerns: the Assistant Secretary of State for Eurasian Affairs, Philip Gordon, diplomatically pointed out possible negative consequences that the withdrawal of the UK from the EU might cause regarding the "special relations" between Washington and London. The BBC reported that Gordon had said on January 9 that his country was interested in "a strong British voice" which would be heard by the Europeans. The diplomat said that as a result of a plebiscite London might return to a policy of isolation which would have "a negative impact on international relations." The British conservative newspaper Daily Telegraph angrily wrote that America had nothing to do with relations between Britain and the EU and that its threats could only make conservative British citizens more confident in their opinion.
It should be noted that the British themselves do not talk openly about withdrawing from the European Union. Prime Minister Cameron is opposed to it, since about 50% of the total turnover of the UK and the majority of its domestic investments are accounted for by Europe. London is fairly happy with the economic cooperation within the EU. However, the newly-adopted course for integration at the military and political level is criticized in the UK. British politicians state that in 1973 the United Kingdom joined another EU with different goals and objectives and that changes in the EU policies make the membership of Great Britain with its anti-globalist perspective in the Union questionable.
Britain is not very happy about the growing significance of Brussels and is not ready to transfer part of its sovereignty to the EU institutions. Attempts to increase integration between the EU member states, supported by Berlin and the US, are not welcomed by British politicians. For example, in 2011 London vetoed the EU's decision to impose penalties on countries that do not comply with the budgetary discipline. Foggy Albion regarded the measure aimed at coordinating the economic policies of the EU as an infringement on its national sovereignty.
The financial crisis in the eurozone, which shook the very foundations of the European Union, has become a catalyst for integration processes. Continental Europe became aware of the need to strengthen the coordinating role of Brussels and therefore of its authority. However, America is also interested in centralizing the EU. This explains why the British became upset with the statement made by American diplomat Philip Gordon quoted above. The US wants to turn the EU into its "junior partner" in the implementation of their military and political objectives. When the United States is shifting its military and political focus to the Pacific to counter the growing power of China, a united Europe has a major role in protecting American interests in Europe and neighboring regions. NATO has adopted the idea of so-called «smart defence», which requires jointly-coordinated budgeting by the member countries of the alliance. European armed forces should exist based on the same principle. And here the British, who have the most powerful defense potential among the EU countries, once again try to stay out of it.
In September 2012, 11 foreign ministers of the EU countries proposed electing a president of the alliance by a popular vote, to establish a collective foreign ministry, to introduce a unified European visa and form one army, ITAR-TASS reported. The eleven EU foreign ministers were from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and France. Apparently, the British political establishment does not want to participate in the All-European project developed by Germany, France and the USA. However, it is also clear that London will be exceedingly pressured by the US and its European partners in the near future. Whether the United Kingdom will manage "to defend" its sovereignty will largely depend on whether David Cameron will demonstrate integrity in the matter of the referendum, which would define a new format of relations between London and the EU.
