OCCUPY Weekend Economists! September 14-16, 2012

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60. Barroso utters the dreaded word

http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/press-review/2687731-barroso-utters-dreaded-word

In proposing a federation of nation states, the President of the European Commission has outlined an ambitious course of development for the EU. For the European press, however, such an initiative inevitably raises questions about the role of Brussels and the role of member states.

***SNIP

“Barroso did not mince his words”, announces Svenska Dagbladet. The Swedish daily notes that –

... the proposal for a banking union to reinforce supervision was expected. But he went much further by affirming that the EU “must” set its sights on a fiscal union that will ultimately lead to the formation of a federation. There is apparently no limit to what Barroso believes should reasonably be managed by he and his colleagues. […] Barroso’s idea is neither reasonable nor desirable to the point where one wonders if he himself can think it is realistic. The proposal may be a means to test how far the EU can go in proposing measures to increase its own power. And although this sounds like a conspiracy theory, it is not necessarily the case. There is a great love for the European project in Brussels, where there is a romantic belief in the positive aspects of a union that constantly brings countries closer together. However, that does not mean that this idea is rooted in reality. [...] If countries at the heart of the EU are increasingly oriented towards a tightly knit federation, the outcome of a multi-speed union will be the most likely result.