Ideas for future EU hit instant headwind

Future of Europe Group presents plans for economic, monetary and political union.

A glimpse into the future of the EU?

Proposals from the foreign ministers of some of the European Union’s most powerful member states for an overhaul of the Union’s decision-making have been given a cool reception by other national governments.  

The proposals, drafted on the initiative of Guido Westerwelle, Germany’s foreign minister, countenance changes to the EU’s foreign and defence policies, greater economic union, multi-layered levels of co-operation between states, and a reduction in member states’ veto powers.

The ministers’ report supports the idea of a popular election for the president of the European Commission, revives the idea of reducing the size of the Commission, and suggests that MEPs from eurozone countries should vote separately from other MEPs on issues affecting the eurozone.

The report was signed up to by foreign ministers from 11 member states (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain), though it contains frequent signals that not all ministers subscribe to all of the proposals.

Eight ministers for foreign or European affairs met in Warsaw on Monday (17 September) to finalise the report, while Denmark, the Netherlands and Portugal were represented by diplomats. Danish and Dutch diplomats, though sceptical about some proposals, stressed the importance of being part of the debate. “It is better to be in than to be out,” one of them said.

Charles Grant of the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank in London, was sceptical about the prospect of changes. He said that there was “no enthusiasm for treaty change or institutional reform” in France, and a great deal of scepticism about what French policymakers saw as “a Pavlovian response” on the part of Germany to call for ‘more Europe’ at times of crisis.

A spokesman for the British foreign ministry said: “We recognise that this is a contribution to a debate, but we are clear that we are not going to see any powers shifting to the EU.”

From the countries that joined the EU in or after 2004, only Poland’s foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, was a member of the group. János Martonyi, Hungary’s foreign minister, told European Voice: “The report raises interesting points, and while I agree with many of them, there are quite a few others I cannot identify with.” He stressed that any reform of the EU must respect the principle that the EU could only exercise powers transferred by the member states.

A Lithuanian diplomat said that the general mood in the EU was not favourable to major reform or treaty change, though Lithuania supported efforts to strengthen the voice of the EU in the world.

A spokeswoman for the Slovak government said it would be concentrating on a document being prepared by Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council, for later in the year. “At the moment our priority is to concentrate on issues viable within limits set by the treaties,” she said, adding that “issues like the direct election of the European President or the formation of a European Army aren’t on the table”.

Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, said he welcomed the “strong commitment to Europe and especially the demand for a stronger role for the European Parliament”.

Hannes Swoboda, the leader of the centre-left group of Socialists and Democrats in the Parliament, said that the report went “in the right direction” but warned of “counter-productive” elements. “Anything that divides the European level into eurozone and non-eurozone is dangerous and makes policymaking even less transparent,” he said. Swoboda said that a constitutional debate should begin after the elections to the Parliament in June 2014.

Elmar Brok, a centre-right German MEP, said: “Europe has to start speaking with one voice. I hope that this paper will lead to a broad and constructive discussion in all member states.”

A spokeswoman for José Manuel Barroso, the president of the Commission, said the report was “a very important contribution to the debate that we are part of”.

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