Netherlands' Prime Minister Mark Rutte arrives at a European Union leaders informal summit in Brussels, Belgium, February 23, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
BERLIN (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday rejected the notion that the European Union is on an inevitable path towards greater political integration after Britain leaves next year, and he called for a narrower focus on projects with an economic payoff.
In a speech in Berlin, Rutte criticised the language of "ever closer Union" enshrined in the bloc's fundamental treaties, saying it should act only where collective action was most appropriate, and do so with a smaller budget.
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