Europe must
change because, as it stands, it is “too weak, too slow and too inefficient,” President
Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.
Two days
after the triumph of Euroscepticism in Germany, in the form of the Alternative
for Germany (AfD) and the less-than-liberal FDP, President Macron made clear
that Paris is demanding rather than merely wishing for change.
Leading not adjusting
Addressing
an audience at the University of the French elite – the Sorbonne – President
Macron projected the vision of a Europe that could shape the world rather than
merely adjust to it.
Macron
reiterated his proposals for an EU asylum office, general attorney, defense
budget, intelligence Academy, a transaction tax, a common corporate tax rate, a
common carbon emissions tax, a common budget, a simplified Common Agricultural
policy, and a finance minister for the eurozone.
The French
President even proposed the founding of a “Disruption Innovation Agency” to
finance research in artificial intelligence, invest in startups, and boost
European champions in strategically important emerging technologies.
Focusing on
defense, Macron promised to open the French Army to other European nationals
and called for an “autonomous capacity for action,” according to the BBC. “At
the beginning of the next decade, Europe must have a joint intervention force,
a common defense budget and a joint doctrine for action,” Macron said according
to Reuters.
The French
President noted that nationalism and identity politics are the barriers to his
essentially federal vision, which also includes a parliament for the Eurozone,
which will be distinct from the EU 28 European Parliament.
These ideas
paint a picture that appears to be too federal even for the President of the
European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, who according to DW does not support
the idea of a separate Eurozone budget or parliament.
The fear of German pushback
Two days
after the entry of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the German
Parliament and the worst electoral results since the Second World War for the
Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD), the proposal may seem
less than in tune with the prevalent mood in Germany.
The most
likely junior coalition partner of the fourth administration for Chancellor
Angela Merkel is the Liberal FDP. The FDP’s leader, Christian Linder,
campaigned on a promise to purge the Eurozone from Greece and put a stop on any
project of financial integration.
Friends as well as foes
Since
Sunday, the French President has consulted twice with Chancellor Merkel, DW
reports.
Besides the
Chancellor, the President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker
appears to be on the same page.
Before the
German elections and under the auspices of the European Commission, the
so-called “big four” – Italy, Spain, France, and Germany – have been demonstrating
increasing political coordination, beginning from taxation issues. However,
because political, fiscal, and strategic integration comes hand in hand with
social transfers and debt mutualization, the sovereigntist pushback in Germany
may be significant.
However,
because political, fiscal, and strategic integration comes hand in hand with
social transfers and debt mutualization, the sovereigntist pushback in Germany
may be significant. Moreover, smaller states like Ireland, Malta, and Luxembourg
could object to a kind of integration that undermines their economic model.
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/macron-calls-europe-leads-rather-adjusts/