THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Closer integration between Euro members could “undermine” the European Union's free market rules, David Cameron has warned.
The Prime Minister will this week attend a special EU summit to discuss the eurozone crisis, and warn the 17 countries who use the single currency not to cut the other ten EU members out of major decisions.
Moves among euro countries towards closer co-ordination of economic policies and fiscal systems have fuelled fears of a two-speed Europe, where the EU is divided between a core of euro nations and a marginalised fringe of countries left outside the single currency.
Wednesday’s summit had originally been scheduled only for the 17 euro governments. But at a bad-tempered meeting on Sunday, Mr Cameron won an agreement for a meeting on Wednesday of all 27 EU members too.
Number 10 fears that the eurozone countries will integrate their policies ever more closely and start to operate as a “caucus” within the EU, making decisions without consulting non-euro members like Britain.
Those decisions could include protectionist measures like higher taxes on imports and tighter market regulations, which would hurt the single market, British officials fear. » | James Kirkup, Deputy Political Editor, and Andrew Hough | Monday, October 24, 2011
