Mark Francois, Chair of the eurosceptic European Research Group, has warned that the EU has failed in three areas: economically, socially and military.
The politician, who was Shadow Minister for Europe between 2007 and 2010, was speaking against a motion that the EU "has a bright future" at the Oxford Union in May.
He also refused the idea that the EU is democratic, expressing concern about an over-centralisation of power and arguing that the EU has become a “supranational state.”
Francois, who was part of the Vote Leave campaign in 2016, said member states of the EU "do not have any great loyalty to the central institutions of the EU" and don't feel an "affinity or a loyalty to these supranational states".
Francois argued that the EU's economy is "shrinking while much of the rest of the world is growing"
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Beginning his speech, Francois joked that those who invited him to speak “neglected to include whether they wanted me to propose it or oppose it which left me with a dilemma…but I decided to oppose the motion”.
Economically, Francois argued that the EU is “shrinking while much of the rest of the world is growing”.
He claimed that the EU is not competing successfully with Asian Markets, stating: “The EU’s share of World Trade is shrinking and not growing, it’s atrophying because of excessive regulation.
“It’s not competing successfully with Asian tigers, especially after covid.”
Francois said NATO has kept the peace since the Second World War not the EU
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Socially, the former Shadow Minister argued the EU is struggling with falling birth rates in most European countries.
Francois said: “They, like us, struggle with the problem of ageing populations and how to maintain adequate public services with a relatively ageing population and thus a shrinking tax base.”
Militarily, Francois claimed that NATO has kept the peace, not the EU.
He explained: “The EU is not a military organisation, NATO is a military organisation. NATO has kept the peace since the Second World War, not the European Union.”
Mark Francois was part of the Vote Leave campaign in 2016
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Commenting on EU member states defence spending, Francois said: “France just about spends two per cent of GDP on defence…Spain barely one and a half on a good day… Europe is simply not paying.”
Francois ended his speech by explaining that the EU could have a bright future, but not if it continues to be “centralised and overregulated".
He concluded: “Vote for freedom, vote for prosperity…oppose the motion.”
The Oxford Union voted in support of the motion with 105 members voting for the motion and 71 members voting against it.