Wise Words?
European Commission President Romano Prodi said Britain could "disappear" if it did not further embrace the European Union, at the Saïd Business School on Monday. He also emphasised that contrary to the views of most British politicians, the EU was "never divorced from politics."
In a strongly-worded address given in the Lubbock Lecture, held as part of the official opening of the School, Prodi said the political dimension has been "understated and misrepresented."
Prodi, described by the Dean of the Business School as a "reformist professor", went on to liken the current historical change in Europe to Venice's loss of influence. Venice lost its power to bigger nation states, and when asked if something similar could happen to Britain, Prodi replied: "Yes!", adding that there was "the same risk for any European country."
Although Britain's leadership in the areas of Justice and Home Affairs were praised, Prodi said that "no one country can resolve issues such as immigration, asylum and terrorism on its own... the solutions can only be European."
Such comments go beyond the language normally used by senior EU officials and are certain to embarrass Tony Blair. The Prime Minister is often anxious to play down the political dimensions of the EU and its enlargement process. Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram swiftly condemned Prodi's remarks, calling them "totally incredible".
The Commissioner did, however, seek to allay British fears that he is building a "superstate", stating that he was instead working towards a "Union of Peoples and States".
Prodi also questioned the value of Britain's "special relationship" with America, which Lord Avery, whose father the Lubbock Lecture is in memory of, later mockingly described as "a deal between the monkey and the organ grinder."
The lecture was not completely dominated by pro-European speakers, however. Lord Sainsbury of Preston Candover, who was treasurer of the pro-Europe campaign in 1975, told the meeting that he had become "increasingly disillusioned" with the EU.
Prodi, who received an honorary degree from the University earlier in the day, was not met by his usual entourage of anti-capitalist protestors, about which he expressed "a little disappointment."
9th May 2002