WIREDGOV

The CBI yesterday (Wednesday) reiterated its position on the UK’s relationship with the EU.

In 2013 Our Global Future report set out a range of reforms to boost EU competitiveness.

John Cridland, CBI Director-General, said:

“The CBI wants the UK to be in a reformed EU – to reform it for the better, not just for the UK but for all Member States.

“While we have never claimed to be the sole business view on Europe, we speak for 190,000 businesses, employing nearly seven million people –which are mostly small and medium-sized firms. The large majority of those CBI companies believe that the benefits of the EU outweigh the disadvantages.

“But the EU must be more focused on driving growth, by signing trade deals and completing the digital single market, and interfere less in domestic affairs where it’s not needed like prescriptive regulation around working hours.

“It is not mutually exclusive to both recognise the benefits of EU membership and still want to push for reform to make it work better – most CBI members want to be in a reformed EU and are supportive of the Prime Minister’s ambitions.

“The CBI has been banging the drum for EU reform for many years and will continue to do so. We have also spent 18 months working with our sister federations across the EU to help build consensus for the drive for greater competitiveness and believe that there is now a genuine window of opportunity to achieve change in Europe.”