FT.com - Why it is vital for Britain to commit to Europe - by Nick Clegg
Why it is vital for Britain to commit to Europe - by Nick Clegg
"Our leverage over the world’s biggest polluters – the US, China and others – is hugely increased when we act together as the 27 member states of the EU. In a previous career, I spent many years negotiating on behalf of the EU with the Russian and Chinese governments on everything from Siberian overflight rights to the terms of China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation. The fact that I represented the largest borderless market in the world gave me authority at the negotiating table that no negotiator from any single EU member state would have enjoyed on his or her own. The same is true in countless other areas, from crime to migration, terrorism and aspects of foreign policy, where the potential benefits of acting collectively hugely outweigh the costs."
