Joint Letter ahead of 30 Jan EU Summit

Europe is at a dangerous juncture in its history. Without decisive policy action, Europe faces the prospect of a decade of economic stagnation, social hardship and political decline. Too little is being done at present to prevent that possibility from becoming a reality.

We, the undersigned, therefore call on the European leaders meeting in Brussels next week to focus on the only credible path out of the current crisis: economic growth. Greater fiscal coordination, discipline and solidarity are all needed, but unless we tackle the underlying cause of the crisis – Europe’s chronic lack of competiveness in the global economy – the present crisis will be the first of many more to come.

Liberal leaders from across the European Union met in London on 9th January where we set out an urgent and far-reaching economic reform agenda. This Emergency Plan for Jobs and Growth in Europe has four key elements.

First, we need a comprehensive programme to complete the Single Market by 2015, removing all the remaining barriers to trade and competition between EU member states, liberalising sheltered sectors and opening up closed shops. Completing the single market in the services and digital sectors alone could add hundreds of billions of Euros to the European economy and generate thousands of Euros in extra income for the average European household.

Second, as we deepen and expand the single market, we need a parallel programme of reform to existing legislation to deliver flexible labour markets, boost competitiveness and increase employment.

Third, we must tap into the dynamism in other economies around the world. This means completing and ratifying all the existing EU Free Trade negotiations underway without delay.

Fourthly, we need to establish a new target for reducing the overall regulatory burden on businesses and ensure that small businesses - the backbone of the European economy - are exempt from new and existing regulations wherever this is justified and in accordance with an integrated single market.

Finally, we need to ensure that the limited public resources available to all of us, both at the national and European level, are focused on growth, competitiveness and external trade. This means keeping national and EU budgets under control and targeting them wisely at growth projects such as innovation, R&D and infrastructure.

The results of this liberal European agenda will not be immediate. The process is not easy. And the decisions are not simple. But if we succeed, all European economies will emerge from the current crisis faster, stronger and more prosperous than ever before.

Andrus Ansip, Leader of the Reform Party
Prime Minister of Estonia

Jan Björklund, Leader of the Folkpartiet
Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden

Rt Hon Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Praxoula Antoniadou Kyriacou, Leader of the United Democrats
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Cyprus

Artur Mas i Gavarró, Leader of Convergència Democràtica
President of the Government of Catalonia

Vincent Van Quickenborne, Deputy Leader, Open VLD
Deputy Prime Minister & Pensions Minister, Belgium

Stefan Wallin, Leader of the Swedish People’s Party
Minister of Defence, Finland

Sir Graham Watson MEP, ELDR Party President
Liberal Democrats, UK