Jim Murphy: EU treaty is good for Britain

In an article for ePolitix.com, Europe minister Jim Murphy sets out the benefits of the new EU treaty and explains why it will not transfer key powers away from the UK.

People are rightly concerned that, when the government signs up to an international treaty, it will be in Britain's interest.

I strongly believe that the EU reform treaty - which will be debated in a full legislative process by Parliament - is good for the UK and its citizens. Building on previous treaties, it confirms what has long been the UK's vision of the EU - sovereign states working together on the big issues. The leaders of the 27 EU member states were quite clear back in June that  the 'constitutional concept' has been abandoned.

It is in Britain's interest to be inside Europe and to help reform Europe. Over half of our foreign trade is with other EU countries, and around three million British jobs are linked to this trade.  But I want us to move beyond a seemingly endless conversation about EU structures and make sure Europe delivers for Britain. Now that we have amended the machinery of the EU to fit 27 members and have protected fundamental areas of UK national interest, the EU can get on with addressing challenges like climate change, energy, migration and job creation. We should not still be having endless conversations about how the EU works when there is a good solution in front of us.

Sometimes political debates get sidetracked, for example, in what a measure is not about rather than what it is about. So let me make clear what this reform treaty is not about.

Britain will not lose or vacate its permanent seat on the UN security council. This was never in any danger. In any case, international organisations like the EU cannot hold seats on the UN security council.   

An EU 'foreign minister' will not decide our foreign policy. The roles of the current EU high representative, Javier Solana, and the current commissioner for external relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, will be combined to avoid wasteful wrangling between bits of the EU. This will also help the EU to act effectively at the international level. One reason this is important is because the EU is one of the world's largest aid donors - there should be strong coordination of that money to ensure it gets to the right places, and gets there when it's needed.

The new high representative will get his or her instructions from the member states, acting by unanimity. We will retain a veto - so where there's no agreed EU position, we will act independently as we do now.  In fact, the treaty package will include a clear declaration, agreed by all 27 member states, stating that the current responsibilities of the member states for the conduct of their own foreign and defence policy will not be affected - including at the UN.

The European council's role will not change. It will still consist of the prime ministers or presidents of the 27 member states and will continue to define the political direction for the EU, acting by consensus. There will be a new permanent president of the European council (serving for two and a half years) who will replace the current presidency, which rotates every six months.  The president will be chosen by national leaders, and will be accountable to them.

It is simply wrong to suggest, as some have, that the EU will gain sweeping new powers in Britain.  The extensions of  'qualified majority voting' in the reform treaty will have no significant impact on national control in key areas - indeed, they should unlock decision-making in areas where it is in our national interest. In criminal justice and policing, social security and the euro, we will retain ultimate national control. For example, in criminal justice and policing, we will have a right to choose whether or not to participate in individual measures. With the growing threat of international crime, such EU-wide co-operation clearly makes sense.

Finally the EU has no power to levy taxes, and the reform treaty will not give it any new powers to do so. A decision for any EU-level tax would have to be taken by unanimity among all member states, and the UK will remain opposed to this.

Hyperbole and misunderstanding aside, the reform treaty will not transfer power away from the UK on issues of fundamental importance to our sovereignty.  Not only has the old constitutional treaty been abandoned, the UK government secured its 'red lines' back in June.  This means we will maintain national control over key areas including justice and home affairs, social security, tax, foreign policy, and defence.   

Our democratic system means that Parliament must ratify treaties. Parliament will therefore make the final decision on whether the reform treaty is in Britain's interests, just as it did with previous amending treaties under Tony Blair, John Major and Baroness Thatcher. So there is no question of this treaty 'slipping through on the quiet'. I am looking forward to the debates.

I am confident that the reform treaty will end the navel gazing on EU mechanisms and allow the EU to focus on the big issues. Those are the things that matter to you and me, and the government is determined to ensure that the EU delivers on them.