Davos, Switzerland (CNN) -- Free trade, transparency and a crackdown on tax cheats will be at the heart of Britain's G8 presidency, Prime Minister David Cameron told the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday as he set out his vision for a more competitive Europe. The speech comes a day after Cameron made headlines by promising the British people a vote on European Union membership if he wins the next general election in 2015. "We need more free trade. We need fairer tax systems. We need more transparency on how governments -- and yes, companies -- operate," Cameron told political and business leaders at Davos.
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NEW: David Cameron says the United States could learn from Britain on deficit reduction
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He tells Amanpour he has no regrets over promising a referendum
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He says the G8 will focus on free trade, fairer taxes and greater transparency"
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We can be the generation that eradicates absolute poverty in our world," he says
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These three issues will be the focus of the @placeholder meeting to be hosted by Britain later this year, he said.
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"It's really important that we've set out a plan for how we get change in Europe that will benefit all of Europe, making it more open, more competitive, more flexible, and how we secure @placeholder's place within that," he said.
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As for those who have criticized the decision, Cameron said he believes "the greatest gamble for @placeholder would be to sit back and do nothing."
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Cameron said the biggest thing that Britain and America could do together is to work on an EU-@placeholder trade deal.
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"Like everything else in this @placeholder, the ambitions are big, and I make no apology for that," he said.