Does Brown have time for the EU?

Gordon Brown’s late arrival at the Lisbon treaty signing ceremony and his absence from last week’s EU-Africa summit may cement the view that the UK prime minister has no interest in Europe, writes Kirsty Hughes.

Gordon Brown has not had a good autumn. After a summer of floods, foiled bomb attacks, and foot and mouth disease, events have gone from bad to worse - from bungled decisions on not holding an early election to scandals, ranging from loss of half the UK population’s personal details on unencrypted computer disks sent from the north of England to London via a parcel delivery company, to the resignation of the Labour Party general secretary over illegal party fund-raising.

In Europe, Brown’s stock is falling too, as observers wonder if the British prime minister has any interest in the EU at all. As one senior diplomat from a smaller member state puts it: "The perception we have is that he is not very interested in international affairs…it bores him and he does not see the EU as more important than the UN or G8. I can almost imagine him saying if he goes to the G8 then why does he need to sit in the EU."

UK Liberal Democrat MEP, Andrew Duff says that while Brown is "taking his time to develop his policy on the EU…things are sliding past and Britain is not performing".

And his absence from last week’s (8-9 December) EU-Africa summit together with his deliberately late arrival at the Lisbon treaty signing ceremony today (13 December) is cementing the view that Brown has no interest in Europe.

Observers believe that Brown and his government will have a bruising parliamentary fight in the first half of next year to get the Lisbon treaty, which is to be signed today (13 December) by EU government leaders, ratified by the UK.

While many admit that new prime ministers can often take their time to find their feet on the European and international stage, some are concerned that Brown looks too much like a traditional British Eurosceptic. A diplomat from a Nordic EU state says that Brown has a "defensive and animalistic posture to Europe". "Our conclusion is that Brown is the most Eurosceptic prime minister since Margaret Thatcher," he adds.

One British official says that the major difference between Blair and Brown is style, not substance: "Blair was very, very good at making his colleagues like him and projecting Britain as a constructive member of the EU but he was not a great negotiator…and got a bit bored at European Councils. Brown in some ways is quite the opposite - not patient with the schmoozing side of EU diplomacy and not a ‘people person’ but once he is engaged he is a formidable and great negotiator."

Gary Titley, the leader of the Labour MEPs, agrees: "There has certainly not been a change in policy but there is a fairly dramatic change in style."

The Nordic diplomat admits that Brown is not good at networking: "EU work is about building networks but this is not Brown’s best characteristic. He has the same capacity as Thatcher to say ‘no’ and the social competence of Nixon."

Labour MEP Richard Howitt argues that Brown is "champing at the bit to move the EU on to the big issues of economic competitive-ness, climate change, success in the new trade round". But Howitt adds that "Blair was someone who was instinctively pro-European while Brown is instinctively internationalist". The MEP asks for patience since the UK ratification of the Lisbon treaty "will be a war of attrition".

Titley says that Brown was warmly welcomed by Socialist leaders before the October summit, in contrast to Blair who had stopped attending Socialist gatherings.

But observers point to worrying signals: the new minister for Europe Jim Murphy does not attend UK cabinet meetings like his predecessor and the British foreign office is said to feel ignored by 10 Downing Street. Brown’s key EU adviser Jon Cunliffe only deals with the EU as part of a larger portfolio, which also comprises international economics and the G8.

The Nordic diplomat calls Cunliffe’s part-time focus on Europe "a litmus test of Brown’s defensive approach". He says he hopes that tomorrow’s (14 December) EU summit declaration on globalisation might get Brown’s attention. "But," the diplomat adds, "he looks at these issues as a finance minister not a prime minister."

Geopolitics is not the strong suit of the Brown team, as Cunliffe, like many of Brown’s advisers, has a Treasury background.

Titley admits that, "Brown comes in having been Chancellor of the Exchequer [finance minister] and it takes time to feel comfortable on the broad range of issues that come up in Europe".

Howitt says that although Brown "is feeling his way on some diplomatic and conflict issues worldwide" he has taken strong stands on sanctions on Burma and over Darfur, showing that he will tackle political and not only economic issues.

Some question whether the UK’s position may weaken under Brown, in areas in which the UK has traditionally been very active, such as Turkey’s membership negotiations or European defence. Brown’s intervention to take out some ambitious comments on defence in a speech that David Miliband, the foreign secretary, was to give in Bruges, has alarmed many. Duff says that Brown does not even seem interested in defence and "the Turks fear Britain has gone off the boil".

The Nordic diplomat says that there is a "question-mark over Britain and enlarge-ment…we are not so sure Brown is willing to take on a fight in the European Council over that". The diplomat from a smaller member state agrees, warning that if the UK does not back Turkey’s bid "very strongly, including the prime minister pulling his full weight, then it won’t happen".

But Howitt insists that "Turkey remains a huge priority" and Titley points to the UK’s fight over the mandate for the reflection group on the future of Europe as evidence that Britain is giving no ground on Turkey. The group, which will be launched at the summit tomorrow, was proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Although Sarkozy initially wanted the group to focus on the borders of Europe and limits of EU enlargement, the group’s mandate is now much broader.

Titley says that Brown is developing good relations with Sarkozy and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and dismisses fears that the UK prime minister is ignoring the smaller countries. However, he predicts political frictions within the EU as the UK will continue to lead the open, free-trade cause: "There is without a doubt a protectionist mood in the EU which the UK is totally opposed to and that will be one of the tensions."

Howitt says observers should withhold judgement on Brown’s European credentials: "You should listen to Gordon Brown in his own right and not through past stereotypes of British attitudes."

But Duff suggests that most members of the European Parliament have already made up their minds on Britain: "If you want easy applause in the European Parliament plenary, then say something anti-British."

• Kirsty Hughes is a freelance analyst based in London.

Gordon Brown’s late arrival at the Lisbon treaty signing ceremony and his absence from last week’s EU-Africa summit may cement the view that the UK prime minister has no interest in Europe, writes Kirsty Hughes.