NCVO chief executive Sir Stuart Etherington has reacted to Prime Minister David Cameron’s speech on Europe, agreeing that change is necessary – especially for the voluntary sector.
Following Cameron’s speech this morning at the London headquarters of Bloomberg, the NCVO CEO pointed to the “vast range of benefits” that this country’s membership of the European Union brings with it.
“Above and beyond its free market, Europe speaks to a principle that we hold dear – coming together to address common problems,” he said.
“There is no doubt that our world is becoming inexorably more globalised. We want the voluntary sector to be involved in shaping these global changes, and for that we have to be influencing the debates from inside the tent. The UK’s membership of the EU is a crucial way for us in the voluntary sector to influence these debates.
But Sir Stuart also stated the need to reform. “Like all things, the European Union reflects the time in which it was conceived and reform is overdue,” he continued. “Europe’s large institutions can feel distant, inaccessible and unresponsive, especially in an era where transparency and accountability are expected.
"A key issue for charities, for example, is that as a consequence of inflexible EU rules, European structural funds are very hard for smaller charities to access.
"We will be contributing to the government’s review of EU powers and calling for greater transparency and accountability in Europe. To my mind, however, the answer is unquestionably reform of Europe, not walking away from it."
As well as calling for European structural funds to be made more accessible to smaller charities, NCVO wants decision-making to be simplified, and for there to be greatly increased opportunities for people in Europe to have direct influence on EU decisions.
Cameron: no 'more of the same’
In his speech given at 08:00 today, the Prime Minister explained that three major challenges exist for the EU:
"Problems in the Eurozone, which lacks the right governance and structures; a crisis of European competitiveness as other nations in the world soar ahead; and a gap between the EU and its citizens which represents a lack of democratic accountability that is felt acutely in Britain."
Cameron presented his vision for the future of Europe. He said that the country’s national interest is best served in a “flexible, adaptable and open European Union” and that such a Union is best with Britain in it.
He also called for change: “More of the same will not secure a long-term future for the Eurozone,” he said. “More of the same will not see the European Union keeping pace with the new powerhouse economies. More of the same will not bring the EU any closer to its citizens. More of the same will just produce more of the same – less competitiveness, less growth, fewer jobs.
“And that will make our countries weaker not stronger. That is why we need fundamental, far-reaching change.”
