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		</div><p>The European Commission has released an outline of five possible futures for the EU after Brexit &#8211; including one scenario where Brussels dramatically scales back its activities to focus on the single market only.</p>
<p>The paper makes no recommendation of which route Europe should follow, though Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said he personally rejected the option of reducing the EU to a free trade area.</p>
<p>In a warning to the 27 remaining states against following the UK&#8217;s lead in going it alone, the White Paper on the Future of Europe cautions against &#8220;the allure of isolation&#8221;, predicting that a break-up of the EU would leave individual states &#8220;prey to the interests of stronger powers&#8221;.</p>
<p>Former UK deputy prime minister Nick Clegg &#8211; now EU spokesman for the Liberal Democrats &#8211; said the document showed the EU was &#8220;serious about the need for reform&#8221;.</p>
<p>The Birtish government&#8217;s pursuit of a &#8220;hard Brexit&#8221; would leave Britain&#8217;s voice &#8220;irrelevant&#8221; in the future development of the continent, he said.</p>
<p>The paper was released in Brussels ahead of discussions on the way ahead at the EU&#8217;s 60th anniversary summit in Rome on March 25.</p>
<p>The gathering will be attended by leaders of 27 member states but not by Prime Minister Theresa May, who is due to trigger Britain&#8217;s withdrawal negotiations by the end of the month.</p>
<p>Unveiling the document to the European Parliament, Mr Juncker said: &#8220;However painful or regrettable Brexit may be, it will not stop the European Union as it moves to the future. We need to move forward, we need to continue.&#8221;</p>
<p><strong>The five scenarios set out in the paper include:</strong></p>
<p><strong>Carrying On </strong>&#8211; The EU sticks to its course, implementing and upgrading its current reform agenda.</p>
<p><strong>Nothing But The Single Market </strong>&#8211; The EU focuses on deepening the single market and significantly cuts regulation, while scaling back co-operation on issues like migration, security or defence.</p>
<p><strong>Those Who Want More Do More </strong>&#8211; The EU allows member states to work together in several &#8220;coalitions of the willing&#8221; on specific policy areas, ranging from defence or internal security to taxation or social affairs.</p>
<p>Doing Less More Efficiently &#8211; The EU decides to focus its attention and resources on a reduced number of areas, such as innovation, trade, security, migration, borders and defence.</p>
<p><strong>Doing Much More Together</strong> &#8211; Member states decide to share more power, resources and decision-making across the board.</p>
<p>The document acknowledges that many European citizens regard the EU as &#8220;too distant or too interfering in their day-to-day lives&#8221; and question whether it improves their standard of living. And it says the challenges of financial crisis, refugees, terrorism and Brexit &#8220;show no signs of abating&#8221;.</p>
<p><strong>But it warns: </strong>&#8220;In an uncertain world, the allure of isolation may be tempting to some, but the consequences of division and fragmentation would be far-reaching. It would expose European countries and citizens to the spectre of their divided past and make them prey to the interests of stronger powers.</p>
<p>&#8220;Europe must now choose. There are as many opportunities as there are challenges. This can be Europe&#8217;s hour, but it can only be seized by all 27 member states acting together with common resolve.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mr Juncker said: &#8220;Sixty years ago, Europe&#8217;s founding fathers chose to unite the continent with the force of the law rather than with armed forces.</p>
<p>&#8220;We can be proud of what we have achieved since then. Our darkest day in 2017 will still be far brighter than any spent by our forefathers on the battlefield.</p>
<p>&#8220;As we mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, it is time for a united Europe of 27 to shape a vision for its future. It&#8217;s time for leadership, unity and common resolve.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Commission&#8217;s White Paper presents a series of different paths this united EU at 27 could choose to follow. It is the start of the process, not the end, and I hope that now an honest and wide-ranging debate will take place. We have Europe&#8217;s future in our own hands.&#8221;</p>
<p>Mr Clegg said: &#8220;This paper shows that, contrary to the claims of the Brexiteers, the EU is serious about the need for reform. Theresa May&#8217;s pursuit of a hard Brexit will make Britain&#8217;s voice even more irrelevant as wider changes unfold in Europe.&#8221;</p>
<p>The leader of Conservative MEPs, Ashley Fox, said: &#8220;I am pleased to see president Juncker laying out a series of options for the future of the EU rather than once again simply pushing his tired vision of a federal Europe.</p>
<p>&#8220;It is a little late, but he is finally acknowledging there is more than one way for the EU to proceed.&#8221;<br />
A Downing Street spokesman said: &#8220;We have been very clear that we want the EU to be a success, for the 27 states to continue to thrive together. That is not only in their interests, but it is in our interests as well.&#8221;</p>
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