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| José Manuel Barroso says he has no plans for a 'superstate' | José Manuel Barroso says he has no plans for a 'superstate' |
| (7 days later) | |
| José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission, has moved to reassure Britain that he has no plans to subsume the 27 members of the EU into a single European federal state. | José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission, has moved to reassure Britain that he has no plans to subsume the 27 members of the EU into a single European federal state. |
| Amid British fears that Barroso is harking back to the federalist days of one French predecessor, Jacques Delors, the commission president writes on the Guardian's Comment is Free site that his plans pose no threat to national democracies. | Amid British fears that Barroso is harking back to the federalist days of one French predecessor, Jacques Delors, the commission president writes on the Guardian's Comment is Free site that his plans pose no threat to national democracies. |
| Barroso prompted warnings last week from Eurosceptics that Brussels wants to create a United States of Europe when he said in his state of the union address that he would like to create a federation of nation states. | Barroso prompted warnings last week from Eurosceptics that Brussels wants to create a United States of Europe when he said in his state of the union address that he would like to create a federation of nation states. |
| In his speech to the European parliament in Strasbourg, Barroso said: "Let's not be afraid of the words: we will need to move towards a federation of nation states. This is what we need. This is our political horizon. This is what must guide our work in the years to come." | In his speech to the European parliament in Strasbourg, Barroso said: "Let's not be afraid of the words: we will need to move towards a federation of nation states. This is what we need. This is our political horizon. This is what must guide our work in the years to come." |
| Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence party, joked on Radio 4's the Westminster Hour at the weekend that he would salute Barroso after confirming his party's worst fears about Brussels. | Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence party, joked on Radio 4's the Westminster Hour at the weekend that he would salute Barroso after confirming his party's worst fears about Brussels. |
| In his Guardian article, Barroso moves to allay the concerns of Eurosceptics and of pro-Europeans in Britain who felt he was failing to understand British anxieties. He writes: "I have said that we will need more shared sovereignty in a way that each country and each citizen are better equipped to control their own destiny. This is about the union with the member states, not against the member states. In the age of globalisation, pooled sovereignty means more power, not less. | In his Guardian article, Barroso moves to allay the concerns of Eurosceptics and of pro-Europeans in Britain who felt he was failing to understand British anxieties. He writes: "I have said that we will need more shared sovereignty in a way that each country and each citizen are better equipped to control their own destiny. This is about the union with the member states, not against the member states. In the age of globalisation, pooled sovereignty means more power, not less. |
| "So when I call for a federation of nation states, it should not be seen as a threat to national democracies. As a former prime minister of my own country [Portugal], I certainly do not want to see a European superstate. I believe in a Europe where people are proud of their nations but also proud to be European." | "So when I call for a federation of nation states, it should not be seen as a threat to national democracies. As a former prime minister of my own country [Portugal], I certainly do not want to see a European superstate. I believe in a Europe where people are proud of their nations but also proud to be European." |
| Barroso, who is something of an anglophile and a fan of the Spectator, is understood to be sceptical of German-led plans to create a pan-European foreign policy. Sources say it is "ironic" that Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, has drawn up integrationist foreign policy plans with four other EU counterparts when Germany has systematically blocked integrationist measures to deal with the eurozone crisis. One joke doing the rounds in Brussels is that the plans will struggle because Westerwelle is a member of the small Free Democratic party which secured 14.6% of the vote in the last federal elections. | Barroso, who is something of an anglophile and a fan of the Spectator, is understood to be sceptical of German-led plans to create a pan-European foreign policy. Sources say it is "ironic" that Guido Westerwelle, the German foreign minister, has drawn up integrationist foreign policy plans with four other EU counterparts when Germany has systematically blocked integrationist measures to deal with the eurozone crisis. One joke doing the rounds in Brussels is that the plans will struggle because Westerwelle is a member of the small Free Democratic party which secured 14.6% of the vote in the last federal elections. |
| The European commission president also uses his article to assure Britain that plans for an enhanced supervision of banks in the 17-strong eurozone will not undermine the single market that applies to all 27 members of the EU. Britain fears that handing supervision for eurozone banks to the European Central Bank could undermine the single market by allowing the eurozone members to "caucus" and block proposals by the 10 EU member states outside the euro. The ECB would have a seat, representing the 17 eurozone members on the European Banking Authority in London. | The European commission president also uses his article to assure Britain that plans for an enhanced supervision of banks in the 17-strong eurozone will not undermine the single market that applies to all 27 members of the EU. Britain fears that handing supervision for eurozone banks to the European Central Bank could undermine the single market by allowing the eurozone members to "caucus" and block proposals by the 10 EU member states outside the euro. The ECB would have a seat, representing the 17 eurozone members on the European Banking Authority in London. |
| Barroso writes: "The Single Supervisory Mechanism will strengthen and not divide the Single Market. The single rulebook, the substantive rules on bank capital requirements and so on, will be agreed by all 27 member states, with the UK continuing to play a leading role. It is worth remembering that the UK has never been outvoted on a financial markets measure. Better application of the common rules within the Euro area has to be good news for the stability and safety of financial markets across the EU. | Barroso writes: "The Single Supervisory Mechanism will strengthen and not divide the Single Market. The single rulebook, the substantive rules on bank capital requirements and so on, will be agreed by all 27 member states, with the UK continuing to play a leading role. It is worth remembering that the UK has never been outvoted on a financial markets measure. Better application of the common rules within the Euro area has to be good news for the stability and safety of financial markets across the EU. |
| "The European Banking Authority, based in London, will keep all its powers to solve disputes and uphold Single Market rules also vis-à-vis the ECB. There will be changes to the EBA voting system to ensure that decision making is balanced and ensure a fair say for everyone, whether they are in the euro area or not. No one is more committed than the European Commission to making sure no new walls are built in the EU." | "The European Banking Authority, based in London, will keep all its powers to solve disputes and uphold Single Market rules also vis-à-vis the ECB. There will be changes to the EBA voting system to ensure that decision making is balanced and ensure a fair say for everyone, whether they are in the euro area or not. No one is more committed than the European Commission to making sure no new walls are built in the EU." |
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