Speech: The Netherlands: Dwarfing the giants. Globalisation and the political need for economic reform

On 22 February 2005, Minister for European Affairs Atzo Nicolai delivered the opening address at the firstever Wilton Park conference in the Netherlands. He stressed that, contrary to common belief, Europe already wields considerable political power but criticized Europe for not living up to its full political potential. In a fast-changing economic landscape, he added, Europe needs to take economic measures to brace itself for a new wave of globalisation. Nicolai concluded that, to preserve its way of life, Europe has no choice but to renew its commitment to the reform programme known as the Lisbon Strategy

Wilton Park http://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/

---