As he prepares to return to Brussels after four-year stint in Hong Kong, Piket says governments both in Europe and China need to re-engage with their citizens to meet rising expectations
STUART LAU AND GARY CHEUNG
UPDATED : Saturday, 09 July, 2016, 1:00pm
Vincent Piket at St John’s Building in Central. Photo: Dickson Lee
As Vincent Piket prepares to vacate his post as head of the European Union’s office in Hong Kong and Macau, the EU finds itself in the global spotlight after Britain dramatically voted to leave the bloc last month in the country’s historic referendum. The veteran bureaucrat and diplomat in the 28-nation (soon to be 27) economic and political union shared his views with thePost on why the referendum outcome was not surprising, what Brussels needs to do to regain the confidence of an increasingly Eurosceptic population, and how national governments from Greece to Germany can help promote European unity. Piket’s four-year stint in Hong Kong has coincided with a tumultuous time for the city’s politics and society. As he prepares to return to Brussels this month, he looks back on his time here with candour, emphasising that Hong Kong’s future rests on the ability of the SAR government to handle social issues “equitably”.
Q: Is it fair to say the EU is facing its biggest crisis?
A: This is the first time ever that a country has decided to exit the EU. In that sense, it’s definitely a serious situation we are in.
Were you surprised by the referendum outcome?
To be honest, no. There were still always the votes of undecided voters to consider, which were many. From referendums on other issues in other countries we know how quickly things can change without any predictions from the polls and so on. So, no surprise.
Piket is preparing to vacate his post as head of the European Union’s office in Hong Kong and Macau. Photo: Dickson Lee
Are you sad about the challenges currently facing EU integration?
I grew up in a Europe where the forerunners of the EU consisted of six member states only and where between those six member states you had border controls. I remember very well crossing the border when our family went on a Sunday outing by car. Crossing the border into Germany, you were checked by the Dutch police, Dutch customs, German customs and German border police. So four checks for a simple Sunday outing. That is the situation from which we have emerged.
How can links better be established between EU institutions and the populations of member states?
In many ways. Communication is very important. Secondly, by greater visible involvement of national governments and national parliaments in the formulation of policies and preparation of decisions. Hong Kong does well in this regard, such as by issuing consultations about any piece of legislation of any significance. The EU needs to reconnect somehow with our citizens. Euroscepticism is a fact in Europe, not just in the United Kingdom but also in other member states including my home country. We need to look at how something so positive for citizens and companies has at sometime, somehow lost support. The EU is too little associated with the solutions. We are emerging economically, with 1.6 per cent growth last year. That is big for a mature economy like ours. But somehow citizens do not connect that resumption of growth and job creation with policies the EU has undertaken.
What was the most unfair argument you heard from the leave campaign in Britain’s referendum?
I think it’s not relevant to talk about fairness. Voters express their will and you can disagree with it and you can be unhappy about it. But unfair? I don’t think so. I think one problem the EU has had repeatedly is the difficulty of linking positive changes in people’s lives to decisions made in the European Council and the European Parliament in Brussels. That link is often not received or felt by citizens.
Leave campaigners on London’s River Thames in the run up to Britain’s referendum. Photo: EPA
Do you buy the view that the outcome of the referendum represented a rebellion of substantial numbers of British voters against bureaucracy, people in the corridors of power and the rich?
That is one theory, and you have to seriously examine it. Let’s face it. This is not just a problem for the EU levels of administration but is equally if not more the task of the member state governments, because at the end of the day it’s not the EU that is ruling member states. That’s not the EU we’re in.
Turning back to Hong Kong issues ... Regarding the case of the missing booksellers, what will be the significance of the saga for the city?
The booksellers episode indeed poses a risk to the implementation of the “one country, two systems” formula. We have called on all parties to try and restore trust, both here in Hong Kong and on the mainland, and also external parties including the EU. Our citizens here have an interest in the case. Let’s see how it is followed up. I think the positive reaction by mainland authorities to the letter from Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying is possibly a good start to clarifying some of the issues that didn’t go well in the case.
What is the correct balance between showing respect for human rights and doing business?
A couple of weeks ago the EU Foreign Affairs Council adopted some policy guidelines on human rights and business. The two go hand in hand in our view. Countries that utterly violate human rights are in many ways no-go areas for businesses. Our consumers don’t want to buy products that are made as a result of obvious involvement in major human rights violations. I wouldn’t make that black-and-white distinction between human rights versus business interests. They are things you have to work on in parallel. At the end of the day, if you say, “Oh no, unless you have a full agreement with a country on human rights, you can’t do business with it,” that’s an untenable, unhelpful, unproductive situation, because economic interests and links give you leverage, and your partners will listen to you more.
British Prime Minister David Cameron (left), accompanied by his wife Samantha as he announces his resignation, was on the losing side of the United Kingdom’s referendum debate on European Union membership. Photo: AFP
Last year you mentioned that you had called for a relaunch of the political reform process at an appropriate time. Do you think the need is even greater now after recent developments?
What matters for us first is that Hong Kong and the mainland decide on the path of reform. It is your sovereign process and we do not interfere in that. Secondly, what matters to us is that the end result is commensurate with the provisions in the Basic Law. Does it live up to the expectations of society? I’m sure some people will always be unhappy – you can’t make everybody happy – but is it on the whole something people can see as positive progress?
Do you think it’s good for there to be genuine competition in the chief executive election, despite it being decided by a 1,200-person panel?
Indeed. I’m not entering into local politics here, but competition is good. Of course there should be competition between candidates and there should be plenty of debate between them on what they stand for and what they want to achieve.
What qualities will be needed from the next chief executive of Hong Kong?
I think the key thing is that the person has an agenda that takes the big issues and topics for Hongkongers forward in an equitable way. These big issues are mainly to do with competitiveness and social inclusion. The sense among some people is that they are excluded from the riches Hong Kong has produced. The poverty in a territory as rich as Hong Kong is hard to understand for outsiders like me.
Do you find Hongkongers happier or unhappier compared with four years ago when you arrived?
Hong Kong is definitely going through a development phase which is challenging. The economic strengths of Hong Kong are under pressure in some areas so the city will have to adjust. Expectations in society are probably higher now towards the government. Are you happier or unhappier?
You’re leaving this month. When will the city’s chief executive bid you farewell?
I’ll tell you afterwards.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/1987254/facing-future-european-union-chief-hong-kong-vincent-piket
