| Main Board • UPDATE 1-Europe must become federation of st |
| 12.10.2012, 04:16 - pelyzi6939 - Rank 4 - 88 Beiträge
UPDATE 1-Europe must become "federation of states",mclersvdoudounesmagasinn.com, Barroso says * Commission president calls for sweeping integration inEurope * Barroso wants creation of "federation of nation states" * Move would require more changes to EU treaty * EU must pool sovereignty to compete in modern age, Barrososays By Claire Davenport STRASBOURG, France, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The president of theEuropean Commission called on Wednesday for the European Unionto be turned into a 'federation of nation states' in a sweepingdemand for countries to surrender more sovereignty and movetowards full integration. In a speech to the European Parliament,doudoune moncler, the head of thebloc's executive, President Jose Manuel Barroso, said he was notcalling for a European "superstate", but said the EU wouldalways be less than the sum of its parts unless the union wasdeepened. "Let's not be afraid of the words: We will need to movetowards a federation of nation states. This is our politicalhorizon. This is what must guide our work in the years to come,"he said in his annual 'state of the union' address,casque beats by dre. "A democratic federation of nation states that can tackleour common problems,jordan pas cher, through the sharing of sovereignty in a waythat each country and its citizens are better equipped tocontrol their own destiny." While there may be enthusiasm in some European capitals forsuch a move, it is a vision that is likely to rankle incountries such as Britain, where there is strong opposition tothe idea of more powers being devolved to Brussels. With concerns already deep about a two-speed Europe betweenthose countries with better growth prospects and those that aregrowing barely at all, and tensions between the 17 countries inthe euro zone and the 10 others that do not use the singlecurrency, a drive towards a federal Europe could lead to morecomplex divisions across the continent. In the mid 2000s, an effort to draw up a constitution forthe EU was ultimately defeated after voters in severaltraditionally pro-European states rejected it in referendums. Barroso said that in an age of globalisation, the EU wouldstruggle to compete unless it was prepared to pool itssovereignty and act as one. "I said a federation of nation states because in theseturbulent times, we should not leave the defence of the nationjust to the nationalists and populists," he said. "I believe ina Europe where people are proud of their nations but also proudto be European." Some members of the European Parliament, including committedpro-Europeans such as former Belgian prime minister GuyVerhofstadt, immediately spoke out against Barroso's call,saying the EU needed to deepen the structure already in place,not become a federation of nation states. Barroso said his vision would require another overhaul ofthe EU's treaty - the fundamental set of laws that govern howthe European Union is managed. Changing the EU treaty hashappened in the past, but it is a complex and lengthy processthat often raises tensions among member states. Barroso, a former Portuguese prime minister who has led theEuropean Commission since 2004,veste moncler, said his office would flesh outproposals for the future shape of the EU, including the legalchanges required to become a federation, before mid-2014. In the meantime, he called for "broad debate" across Europeand its citizens about how the continent planned to recastitself and what attributes it would need to compete with itsmajor trading partners such as China and the United States deepinto the 21st century. "Many will say that this is too ambitious, that it is notrealistic," he said. "But let me ask you this -- is it realisticto go on like we have been doing? Is it realistic to see morethan 50 percent of young people without jobs in some of ourmember states,air jordan? "The realistic way forward is the way that makes us strongerand more united. Realism is to put our ambition at the level ofour challenges." Related Topics Articles? Douglas Nickson - diHITT Journatic Jack Shafer Earnings Global Inves...d Index Global Investing |