Blair takes helm of EU with eye on economy
Blair takes helm of EU with eye on economy
In recent weeks Blair has conjured up a new ideological divide by setting himself the task of root and branch change of Continental Europe's stuttering economies. He made clear Friday that he wanted to use his presidency of the EU to urge a new economic dynamism in Europe, which in effect is a call for Germany and France to work harder and not rely on social legislation to protect jobs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is a stance that is drawing the fury of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany and President Jacques Chirac of France. Declaring that Europe did not have to "abandon our social model but update it. He made clear Friday that he wanted to use his presidency of the EU to urge a new economic dynamism in Europe, which in effect is a call for Germany and France to work harder and not rely on social legislation to protect jobs. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it is a stance that is drawing the fury of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany and President Jacques Chirac of France. The dilemma, Blair said, was between "the desire to be a strong competitive economy and the desire to keep in place a strong social dimension."
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