Gordon Brown: Europe must face up to scale of economic challenge

UK Finance Minister Gordon Brown told MEPs that the increasingly global economy presents Europe with a huge challenge in maintaining its competitiveness. Speaking on 12 July 2005 to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament to present the programme of the UK presidency, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer said full employment could be a realistic goal only if the EU faced up to the scale of reform needed.