CHIEF Eurocrat Jose Barroso ignited fury yesterday by calling for the EU to become a “federation of nation states” run from Brussels.In his most ambitious rallying cry yet for political and economic unity, the European Commission President said “shared sovereignty” was the only solution to the debt crisis in the eurozone.Mr Barroso also demanded “absolute loyalty” from member states.
“Let’s not be afraid of the words: We will need to move towards a federation of nation states,” he said.Mr Barroso promised a new treaty to effectively establish an elected Europe-wide government and denounced opponents of his dream as “populists and nationalists”.His plea came yesterday in his annual “State of the Union” speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.Last night critics condemned the Portuguese politician’s astonishing ambitions as “out of touch with reality”. Downing Street officials urged EU chiefs to concentrate on the economic crisis.Mr Barroso set out a plan for the EU to “evolve” into a “deep and genuine economic and monetary union, a political union, with a coherent foreign and defence policy”.He told Euro MPs: “We are in a defining moment. This moment requires decisions and leadership. In Europe, this means accepting we are all in the same boat. It means recognising the commonality of our interests. And it means demanding a true sense of common responsibility.“Because when you are on a boat in the middle of the storm, absolute loyalty is the minimum you demand from your fellow crew members.”
No comments:
Post a Comment