Five specific questions for general disagreement: the Hampton Court summit and the UK Presidency

The UK presidency has put in motion an initiative of questionable use. Furthermore, it has done so from a position that is structurally at odds with Tony Blair’s clear desire to exercise leadership. The following analysis provides hypothetical content for a possible Spanish response to the questions that Blair posed in his letter of invitation to the EU’s leaders. The conclusion is clear: Spain fully shares the concerns laid out by the UK presidency and, precisely for this reason, should ask the UK to put aside its historic distrust of European integration and equip the European Union with the powers and resources necessary to address these concerns.