Tuesday, March 21, 2006

EU Protectionist Busters

Fire of Liberty

It seems that the UK, Italy, the Netherlands, as well as Denmark, Ireland and Sweden are gathering steam in their efforts to call for the further elimination of economic nationalism and a return to Free Trade within the EU. Take a look at what the leaders within the EU had to say to the Financial Times about the upsurge in protectionism in the EU:
José Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, on Tuesday urged the EU'’s 25 national leaders to drop their "“absurd"” talk of economic nationalism.

He said: "“By definition we cannot accept nationalisms. We cannot build barriers against each other in a single market – that would be absurd."

Charlie McCreevy, EU internal market commissioner, told French bankers in Paris it was useless building "political Maginot lines"” around a national economy – a reference to France'’s ineffective defences in the second world war.
I've never been a fan of countries in the EU dropping their own cultural, political, legal systems, and money under a single banner and constitution but I feel that the EU should be based on a common economic market that allows free trade amongst the various member countries like the founders of the EU intended it to be in the 50's. Hopefully this stand for free markets is a return to the true nature of the EU.

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