Brown says EU should focus globally

LONDON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has called for a moratorium on EU integration after leaders struggled to secure the Treaty of Lisbon this week.

Brown said the European Union must "move on" to issues such as the global economy and climate change, The Independent reported Friday.

"With the conclusion of the debate on the EU amending treaty, the EU must now urgently turn its attention to strengthening international capacity to secure greater financial security," Brown said Wednesday.

At a summit in Brussels on Friday, Brown was expected to argue that a plan floated by France to set up a committee to examine what the EU should look like by 2030 should not provide a platform for creating an "ever-closer union."