Lord Young of Norwood Green
Main Page: Lord Young of Norwood Green (Labour - Life peer)European Single Market
Lord Young of Norwood Green Excerpts(13 years, 5 months ago)
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Baroness Wilcox
The United Kingdom is not a member of the euro at the moment, and I see no time in future when we are likely to ask to join.
Lord Young of Norwood Green
My Lords, given the divergent views on Europe in the coalition Government, does the Minister agree with the British Chambers of Commerce that Governments find it difficult to agree the harmonising measures that are essential to making the single market work? What harmonising measures will the Government support?
Baroness Wilcox
The coalition is working extremely well. There are certainly good points in the plan. Spreading the word is one recommendation in the report. We agree with that. SMEs having a level playing field? We agree with that. Proposals being SME-proofed so that the legals do not work against them? We agree with that. The liberalisation of services? Excellent. Moving architects backwards and forwards? We should be able to do that. Creating a digital single market? We want to do that. A single market in energy and freedom of movement there? We want that. Freezes on new laws that cost jobs? We will have to discuss that. Rebalancing the EU budgets towards growth? That is exactly what the report was about. It is an excellent report and we are very happy to support most of it.