It's not just the UK that needs a better deal - all Europeans do

Britain’s prime minister David Cameron is setting out his European reform agenda tomorrow. The N-VA is just as convinced as the British Conservatives that the EU is in need of a change. We have to move towards a truly confederal Europe, based on Eurorealism The N-VA opts for a realistic, feasible approach to the European project. That eurorealism is translated into a Europe that is strong where necessary, in order to achieve results that are tangible and specific to its own citizens. The European cooperation must also have a sufficiently democratic platform among the residents of the Member States. This is why the N-VA advocates for constant, critical reflection and is opposed to the pipe dream of a European super state. eurorealism . A European Union that stimulates rather than frustrates. In short: a better (British) deal for all Europeans, to quote Syed Kamall, MEP and ECR The N-VA is a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), a conservative, eurorealistic parliamentary group in the European Parliament. The N-VA shares their realistic view of the European project and also advocates for the correct and intensive application of the subsidiarity principle. For example, we must not be afraid to ask ourselves if it would be better to leave certain European initiatives to the Member States. The N-VA also identifies with the emphases that the ECR places on the social-economic issues. Since the 2014 elections, the ECR has become the third largest parliamentary group in the European Parliament. ECR Group leader, and Sander Loones,  MEP and Vice-President of the N-VA.

Imagine the EU had never been created. Imagine you were handed a blank piece of paper and told to design it. Would it look like the EU does today?
 
Almost everyone agrees that the EU needs reform to be more effective. It stands at a crossroads in its evolution. Will it move further towards a centralised super state; or an arrangement based on realism, trade and cooperation on our unifying common causes.
 
To choose a centralised European super state, is to choose a model that does not carry the people with it. The old European forces say that it is the only route we have to create a pan-European democracy. At least they are honest about their agenda. Others say their end goal is not a federal state, but still they consistently call for 'More Europe' without setting a limit on how far it should go. The problem with both approaches is that the EU is not a democracy; it is a sum of 28 (and more) democracies. Denying this simple truth turns people off of the EU. 
 
This is why David Cameron wants to look at a different model in his EU reform talks; not break-up of the EU, or even some special advantage for the UK.  But choosing reform, openness and decentralisation that will work for Britain, for Flanders, for all 28 states. In many ways Britain's approach has not changed: for generations it has acted as a counterweight to the interventionist reflexes of Paris, and the federalising reflexes of Berlin. However, what has changed is the world we live in today.  
 
As markets have become more global, decision-making has become more local. Technology has given people more control over their lives, and they want control over their masters too. People are frustrated by barriers across the single market, or obstacles put up by governments to inhibit global trade; they want to be able to influence EU decisions via their more accountable national or regional parliamentarians, rather than the more corporatist European Parliament. So opening markets and decentralising power will benefit everyone, increasing economic Competitiveness The extent to which companies in one country can compete with similar companies in another country. A law came into force in Belgium in 1996 to monitor competitiveness. This stipulates that Belgian salaries may not evolve faster than the average of those in the three neighbouring countries. The Central Economic Council (CEC) performs an annual measurement to see if the objectives have been obtained. competitiveness and reconnecting people to the vision of European cooperation.
 
We especially need to reconnect on the issue of immigration. Our constituencies in Flanders and London have an open view on identity and on the world. However, a perception and a reality has been building in both the UK and Belgium that our social benefits systems are open to abuse. Politicians who fail to tackle those perceptions risk becoming victims of them. So Cameron is right to seek to restore confidence in the principle of European free movement, but he can only achieve that if he returns it to the principle of free movement to work, not free movement to claim.
 
Free movement is not the only issue where we need to return to the fundamentals. It is also the case when it concerns the euro. There is no need to install a political union to ‘save’ the euro zone. What's needed is Member states sticking to the rules already in place on debt and no-bailouts. Rules which have been so clearly flouted and ignored to suit political expediency over the past ten years.
 
With a eurozone on the loose, Cameron is doing what all leaders would do: not standing in the eurozone's way, but defending a financial services industry which accounts for 1.1 million British jobs. It is too easy to describe his concerns as mere 'British exceptionalism.' Actually it is simple eurorealism with Britain saying that if the euro integrates further it will want protections for its services industries so that they cannot be outvoted by caucusing Euro nations heavily lobbied by Frankfurt and Paris.
 
David Cameron's requests are not a threat but an opportunity. Flanders and the rest of the EU have a lot to gain from what the UK is proposing. So let's bridge the English Channel and work together on building an EU that is more accountable, open, and which delivers more solutions and fewer headaches. We do not have the luxury of a blank piece of paper, but we should still put our efforts into reforming the EU. Not only Britain, but all Europeans need a better deal.