31 October 2005
Tony Blair will speak to Parliament today to update MPs on the progress from last week’s European Union meeting.
The PM concluded the Hampton Court summit by speaking about the future direction of the European Union.
After a day of talks with leaders of the 25 EU countries, Mr Blair said progress had been made in various key areas, with discussions taking place in a ‘good spirit and a good mood.’
The PM told journalists that the leaders had reached ‘broad agreement’ on the challenge of globalisation paper produced by President Barroso, and had agreed some new areas of work.
He said that the enlargement countries had had an impact on the discussions, ‘their dynamism and vitality energising the original members.’
A budget deal at the EU summit in December was ’still crucial’, he said, but it would be much easier when a clear the direction had been set.
And they all agreed that the EU needed to be more in line with the concerns of its citizens, putting Europe ‘back on track and moving in the right direction’.
They also talked about migration, energy policy and education and the discussion documents published by the government yesterday.
José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, said the leaders had enjoyed ’substantial discussions and concrete results.’
During the day leaders issued joint statements on Iran, Syria and the south Asia earthquake.
Useful links
- Read the transcript of the press conference
- Read the joint statement on Iran (opens in new window)
- Read the joint statement on Syria (opens in new window)
- Read the joint statement on the south Asia earthquake (opens in new window)
- See our special education section
- Visit the official European Union Presidency website (opens in new window)
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