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| 11 European Foreign Ministers Call for Greater Integration | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| LONDON — Testing the theory that it often takes a crisis to bring Europeans together, 11 foreign ministers, led by Guido Westerwelle of Germany, have called for a big increase in economic, political, diplomatic and even military integration within the European Union. | |
| Their report, issued Monday by the Future of Europe Group at a meeting in Warsaw, outlines far-reaching proposals for a Europe weighed down by debt, mired in an economic slowdown and struggling to save its single currency. However, the report acknowledges that only some of the 11 ministers agreed with ideas such as the eventual creation of a European army. | |
| Nevertheless, the fact that the foreign minister of the European Union’s most powerful nation, Germany, was its prime mover gives the nine-page document political significance. | Nevertheless, the fact that the foreign minister of the European Union’s most powerful nation, Germany, was its prime mover gives the nine-page document political significance. |
| Germany has argued consistently for a more federal Europe, a point of tension with its closest partner, France, which tends to be more protective of sovereignty and preoccupied with shorter-term measures to stabilize the euro. | Germany has argued consistently for a more federal Europe, a point of tension with its closest partner, France, which tends to be more protective of sovereignty and preoccupied with shorter-term measures to stabilize the euro. |
| Highlighting the difficulties confronting the European Union, the document notes, “In many parts of Europe, nationalism and populism are on the rise, while the feeling of solidarity and sense of belonging in Europe are dwindling.” | |
| Its answer is more, not less, Europe. | Its answer is more, not less, Europe. |
| In the economic sphere the document suggests more European oversight over the budgets of national governments, a single supervisory mechanism for euro zone banks involving the European Central Bank, and more powers for the European Parliament. It adds that the euro zone’s bailout fund should become a European Monetary Fund. | In the economic sphere the document suggests more European oversight over the budgets of national governments, a single supervisory mechanism for euro zone banks involving the European Central Bank, and more powers for the European Parliament. It adds that the euro zone’s bailout fund should become a European Monetary Fund. |
| Some ministers supported euro bonds that would mutualize debt in the euro area, a common deposit insurance program, and a European system for winding up failing banks, the paper says. | Some ministers supported euro bonds that would mutualize debt in the euro area, a common deposit insurance program, and a European system for winding up failing banks, the paper says. |
| Other ideas include a strengthened European foreign and diplomatic service, the removal of national vetoes over E.U. foreign policy decisions, the creation of a European border police and a common European visa. | Other ideas include a strengthened European foreign and diplomatic service, the removal of national vetoes over E.U. foreign policy decisions, the creation of a European border police and a common European visa. |
| Most ministers want an end to each nation’s right to veto changes to E.U. treaties and some favor a more democratically elected president for the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body. | Most ministers want an end to each nation’s right to veto changes to E.U. treaties and some favor a more democratically elected president for the European Commission, the bloc’s executive body. |
| Mr. Westerwelle and the Polish foreign minister, Radek Sikorski, made a case for the proposals in an opinion article Tuesday in The International Herald Tribune. | |
| How seriously the specific suggestions should be taken is difficult to judge, particularly since Mr. Westerwelle comes from a minority party in the German coalition, rather than the center-right party of Chancellor Angela Merkel. | How seriously the specific suggestions should be taken is difficult to judge, particularly since Mr. Westerwelle comes from a minority party in the German coalition, rather than the center-right party of Chancellor Angela Merkel. |
| “Germany’s renewal of the concept of political union reflects the fact that the German political class have become more integrationist as the euro crisis has progressed,” said Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform. “But what their partners want to know is whether the Germans are really serious about believing in a more integrated Europe, or whether calling for more Europe is an emotional response — a sort of Pavlovian reaction — to the difficulties they are in.” | “Germany’s renewal of the concept of political union reflects the fact that the German political class have become more integrationist as the euro crisis has progressed,” said Charles Grant, director of the Center for European Reform. “But what their partners want to know is whether the Germans are really serious about believing in a more integrated Europe, or whether calling for more Europe is an emotional response — a sort of Pavlovian reaction — to the difficulties they are in.” |
| The foreign ministers of all of the European Union’s big members took part in the so-called Future of Europe Group, with the exception of Britain, which remains resolutely skeptical about further integration. Poland, which joined the European Union in 2004, played an active role, and the 11 participants included representatives of the six countries that started the process of European integration after World War II. | |
| Critics believe that some countries may have participated simply to monitor what others were saying. But the report, signed by Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium and Luxembourg, reflects the rising temperature of the debate over the future of Europe. | |
| Last week, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called for his successor to have more democratic legitimacy. Mr. Barroso, whose term is to end in 2014, said that political groupings in Europe should each propose one nominee for the job before the next European elections. Currently, the commission president is selected through a sort of horse-trading process by national governments, with the choice subject to Parliament’s approval. | Last week, the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, called for his successor to have more democratic legitimacy. Mr. Barroso, whose term is to end in 2014, said that political groupings in Europe should each propose one nominee for the job before the next European elections. Currently, the commission president is selected through a sort of horse-trading process by national governments, with the choice subject to Parliament’s approval. |
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: | |
| Correction: September 18, 2012 | |
An earlier version of this article misstated the number of foreign ministers who signed the report. Eleven did so, not nine. The same error appeared in the headline. |