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Eurozone countries should form United States of Europe, says EC vice-president

Another high up member of the EU Nomenklatura, Viviane Reding, openly admits to their federal designs, following on from European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's admission last year .

A "United States of Europe" should be formed by the 18 eurozone countries to stabilise the European single currency, a vice-president of the European commission says in a speech on Monday evening.

Speaking at the Cambridge University faculty of law, Viviane Reding borrows Winston Churchill's historic 1946 phrase as she called for a full fiscal and political union on much of the continent.

Delivering the Mackenzie Stuart lecture, Reding says: "There is a strong case for a true fiscal and ultimately political union. In my personal view, the eurozone should become the United States of Europe."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/eurozone-countries-united-states-europe-viviane-reding

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Reply 1
Avatar for Old_Simon
Old_Simon
12
Winston must be turning in his grave.
No thank you.
I wonder what the rest of the commission think about this, and those in the council and parliament?

I'm unsure if Euroskeptics in the UK should worry about this. She did specifically say the Eurozone (not the EU as a whole) should become a federation. Infact..

However, Reding endorses Churchill's view, outlined in his Zurich speech in 1946, that Britain should remain apart from the United States of Europe.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 4
Avatar for thesabbath
thesabbath
OP
2
Original post by SHallowvale
I wonder what the rest of the commission think about this, and those in the council and parliament?

I'm unsure if Euroskeptics in the UK should worry about this. She did specifically say the Eurozone (not the EU as a whole) should become a federation. Infact..


Like most actions the EU takes it would continue to make the Eurosceptics' case for them.

The Eurozone States would have banded together to drive the EU as a whole in a direction which is convenient for the Federalists. British calls from the outside for less integration (the only way to oppose federalisation) would be viewed as unhelpful to this end and the UK would be increasingly marginalised as a result. This would kill off the main argument of the Europhiles bordering on sceptical, which is that Britain should not only be a member of the EU but should drive it and reform it from within. The choice to remain a member would become explicitly binary (rather than implicitly as matters stand).
Original post by thesabbath
Like most actions the EU takes it would continue to make the Eurosceptics' case for them.

The Eurozone States would have banded together to drive the EU as a whole in a direction which is convenient for the Federalists. British calls from the outside for less integration (the only way to oppose federalisation) would be viewed as unhelpful to this end and the UK would be increasingly marginalised as a result. This would kill off the main argument of the Europhiles bordering on sceptical, which is that Britain should not only be a member of the EU but should drive it and reform it from within. The choice to remain a member would become explicitly binary (rather than implicitly as matters stand).


What's your point?
Reply 6
Avatar for Rakas21
Rakas21
21
This is nothing new and i'm quite happy for the Euro-zone to become a federal nation (at this stage the UK should not be part of it - though for different reasons than the Euro-skeptics).
Reply 7
Avatar for thesabbath
thesabbath
OP
2
Original post by SHallowvale
What's your point?


Are you an EU Funded Troll?
Original post by thesabbath
Are you an EU Funded Troll?


No, I just couldn't make sense of your post (it was incredibly vague and did not seem relavent to my original post).

The link doesn't work, either.
Reply 9
Avatar for rugg
rugg
Original post by thesabbath
Another high up member of the EU Nomenklatura, Viviane Reding, openly admits to their federal designs, following on from European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's admission last year .

A "United States of Europe" should be formed by the 18 eurozone countries to stabilise the European single currency, a vice-president of the European commission says in a speech on Monday evening.

Speaking at the Cambridge University faculty of law, Viviane Reding borrows Winston Churchill's historic 1946 phrase as she called for a full fiscal and political union on much of the continent.

Delivering the Mackenzie Stuart lecture, Reding says: "There is a strong case for a true fiscal and ultimately political union. In my personal view, the eurozone should become the United States of Europe."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/17/eurozone-countries-united-states-europe-viviane-reding
Basically, I agree with the need for the USE (United States of Europe), at least among the Eurozone countries

However, it will take quite some time : perhaps after the present crisis is over, there will be the possibility for some progress
Do these lot really think the likes of Ireland, who spent hundreds of years oppressed by an imperial nation and fighting for their sovereignty, are going to readily give it up to some Euroclown who wants to make the currency easier to manage? Really?
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Saoirse:3
Do these lot really think the likes of Ireland, who spent hundreds of years oppressed by an imperial nation and fighting for their sovereignty, are going to readily give it up to some Euroclown who wants to make the currency easier to manager? Really?


Ask the SNP.
Reply 12
Avatar for Rakas21
Rakas21
21
Original post by Saoirse:3
Do these lot really think the likes of Ireland, who spent hundreds of years oppressed by an imperial nation and fighting for their sovereignty, are going to readily give it up to some Euroclown who wants to make the currency easier to manage? Really?


Yes. Whether the people agree or not Ireland's politicians are in just about every group pushing closer integration and the Irish people voted for the last treaty.

That being said i don't oppose federalism myself as i don't think it oppresses the constituent nation, i'm opposed to UK entry simply because the current structure of the EU and Euro-zone is inadequate.
Original post by Rakas21
Yes. Whether the people agree or not Ireland's politicians are in just about every group pushing closer integration and the Irish people voted for the last treaty.

That being said i don't oppose federalism myself as i don't think it oppresses the constituent nation, i'm opposed to UK entry simply because the current structure of the EU and Euro-zone is inadequate.


Yeah, somehow I don't think the Irish are gonna ratify the destruction of their own country anytime soon no matter how many neverendums they give us till we choose the "right" answer. I'm not opposed for any economic reason, I just think politically nations have different identities and values and should therefore have seperate states fit to make their own laws. I'm proud to be Irish, not part of the Euroblob or whatever they'd call it.
Reply 14
Avatar for Rakas21
Rakas21
21
Original post by Saoirse:3
Yeah, somehow I don't think the Irish are gonna ratify the destruction of their own country anytime soon no matter how many neverendums they give us till we choose the "right" answer. I'm not opposed for any economic reason, I just think politically nations have different identities and values and should therefore have seperate states fit to make their own laws. I'm proud to be Irish, not part of the Euroblob or whatever they'd call it.


Other than calling it a federation what actual measures do you think the Irish would oppose given that your already in a currency union and i can't see you opposing a defense union. Given that federalism does not equate to central taxation per say which is the only one i'd see countries opposing i'm not sure what aspects of further integration would be opposed.

To be honest i consider it a great shame on Britain's part that we let Ireland go and never developed the Anglospheric parts of the Empire into some kind of federation.
Original post by Rakas21
Other than calling it a federation what actual measures do you think the Irish would oppose given that your already in a currency union and i can't see you opposing a defense union. Given that federalism does not equate to central taxation per say which is the only one i'd see countries opposing i'm not sure what aspects of further integration would be opposed.

To be honest i consider it a great shame on Britain's part that we let Ireland go and never developed the Anglospheric parts of the Empire into some kind of federation.


The promotion of the Irish language? Education? Healthcare? You can be absolutely sure that the EU would be trying to take much more control than at present within a federal system. Even when you take something like abortion where the law arguably does need to change, we would be far more open to it coming from Dublin after discussion rather than being imposed from Brussels.

In that case, you really don't understand Ireland. That would simply not ever have been possible. The IRA would've been far stronger than they were and would've given Britain hell, and to be quite frank whilst I don't condone targeting civilians I'd have a lot of sympathy with them.
Reply 16
Avatar for rugg
rugg
closer integration should take place for those States who are available. The problem somehow lies with States who don't want to join but are somehow afraid of losing out if the other States go ahead: a contradictory attitude, but not uncommon unfortunately
Original post by Saoirse:3
The promotion of the Irish language? Education? Healthcare? You can be absolutely sure that the EU would be trying to take much more control than at present within a federal system. Even when you take something like abortion where the law arguably does need to change, we would be far more open to it coming from Dublin after discussion rather than being imposed from Brussels.

In that case, you really don't understand Ireland. That would simply not ever have been possible. The IRA would've been far stronger than they were and would've given Britain hell, and to be quite frank whilst I don't condone targeting civilians I'd have a lot of sympathy with them.


A) Learning the Irish language is a complete waste of time.

B) The Irish healthcare system completely sucks.

C) The Irish education system is still controlled by the Catholic Church. Nothing more really needs to be said.
Original post by DorianGrayism
A) Learning the Irish language is a complete waste of time.

B) The Irish healthcare system completely sucks.

C) The Irish education system is still controlled by the Catholic Church. Nothing more really needs to be said.


See, you're illustrating the problem perfectly. The part of Ireland I'm from in particular most certainly does not view out native tongue as a waste of time. Any Brussels Bureaucrat who came up with the stuff you just posted would not be winning a vote on his proposals any time soon.
It is not for minor unelected European bureaucrats to criticise the policy of the democratically elected, largely accountable, and clearly transparent Coalition Government of Her Majesty and the people of the United Kingdom. Didn't Belgium close their government down entirely for a while ? I am beginning to realise that the "free movement of labour" - another subject Ms Reding saw fit to lecture us on - is an EU ploy to undermine national identities of sovereign states.

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