Remarks by Denis MacShane in Rome

“We are on the eve of the most important visit by an American president to Europe in my life-time.

 “Europe will make an historic choice this week. Either to hold out both hands of friendship to the people of the United States and reaffirm that for the rest of the 21st century European and American values are the same, or to return to the old Europe of condescension and a sense of superiority over the United States.

 “I believe we should be working for an ‘entente cordiale’ with the United States based on engagement, effective multilateralism, and agreement on defeating what Josscha Fischer has rightly defined as the new totalitarianism of Jihadi terrorism.
 “Europe can do so while maintaining its own positions across a range of issues. Equally we have to respect the United States when there are not votes in the Senate to ratify an international treaty or agreement the European Union is supporting.

 “The kind of primitive anti-Americanism we have seen from some political voices and intellectuals in some European capitals is no better than the crude anti-Europeanism I hear from the right-wing politicians and media in Britain.

 “If there is one thing more tiresome than a neo-Conservative denunciation of European failings, it is neo-Communist language hostile to the United States. American neo-Cons and European neo-Coms should go off in their own little boat to work out their problems.

 “Two weeks ago we had a remarkable visit by the US Secretary of States, Condoleeza Rice. I have heard Ms Rice play the most challenging if beautiful music Europeans have written. When she says that she welcome increased European unity, and considers the development of common foreign policy on behalf of the EU this is American music for my ears.

 “I was born after another great American Secretary of State, George C Marshall, made his speech in 1947 in which he called for a new economic relationship between the US and Europe.

 “The Marshall Plan was bitterly opposed by  the left at the time. In Italy, in France and in Britain socialists and trade union leaders denounced the Marshall Plan as an unacceptable interference in European affairs.

 “We know better now. So I say that when the hand of friendship if offered from America let not Europe turn away.

 “We went through bruising differences over what approach to take to freeing Iraq from the tyranny, terrorism, and tortureof Sadam Hussein.

 “Now let us agree with President Chirac when he told us in London late last year that we should leave to historians the task of deciding who was right and who was wrong on Iraq.

 “Instead let us welcome the sight of millions on Iraqis going to vote and seeking to show that fascist terrorism will not pass.

 “It is the courage of Italian and British soldiers who have created this democratic space in Iraq.

 “Now we have to move forward and make sure that the European Union as a whole is present at the creation of more democracy in Iraq as well as peace based on a two-state solution in Palestine and Israel.

 “Under the UK presidency of the EU later this year we will see the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the Barcelona process.

 “Europe needs to focus on mare nostrum – the Mediterranean and all its shorelines.

 “A good place to start is across the sea in the Western Balkans.

“This is Europe’s unfinished business. The refusal of states like Croatia and Serbia to cooperate fully with the International Tribunal in the Hague is a serious impediment to their European future.

“How long can we leave Kosovo in limbo, neither a state, nor a region, nor able to undertake the normal role of governance. This time last year we saw terrible violence in Kosovo. The time has come to let Kosovo be Kosovo because if not, we will have a festering wound in the heart of south-eastern Europe for decades to come.

“Above all, we want Europe to grow to the full potential of its economic capabilities.
 “I represent a nation that gave the world Adam Smith and John Maynard Keynes.
 “Their values and wisdom are sorely needed in today’s Europe.

“In Britain since Tony Blair became prime minister we have created a job every three minutes since May 1997.

“We have done so while increasing social improvements and investing in public services.
“In Germany the DGB trade union has lost 1000 members for every working day in the last two years.

“In France, only one per cent of workers in the private sector are members of trade unions

“Social Europe cannot co-exist with mass unemployment.

“We need a job-creating Europe and that requires the most courage of all – the courage to accept reforms  even when they ran counter to customs and practice we are used to.

“Europe must reform or it will wither into being a weak partner for the United States and unable to stand up to the challenges and competition from the new Union of giant economic and soon political-military powers in Asia like China, India as well as Japan and Korea.

“Britain is looking forward to holding the presidency of the EU after our friends in Luxembourg.

“We will be good Europeans acting to promote the interests of all our partners. What is good for Europe is good for Britain and I believe the economic achievements and Tony Blair’s politics of permanent reformism are good for Europe.

“Today we have had the first big test of the new European constitutional treaty – the second Treaty of Rome – in Spain.
“Over the next two years all of Europe has to say yes to the new Treaty.

“But then let us finish these institutional-constitutional debates that fascinate the political elites of Europe and get back to what Europe needs to do which is create jobs, build down unnecessary regulation and protectionism, show that Europe can be a force for good in the world by defeating anti-semitism and Islamaphobia and be a power that accepts rather than flees from its responsibilities to work with the United States and other centres of democracy and rule of law to build a 21st century of peace, progress, tolerance and social justice.

“Thank you.