Merkel’s ambitious plans

Angela Merkel, Germany’s chancellor, is known more for pragmatism than vision, but on Monday (15 November) she set out an ambitious vision for Germany and for Europe. “The task of our generation is to complete economic and monetary union and build political union in Europe step by step,” she told a conference of her party, the centre-right Christian Democrats.

A majority of the party voiced its support for this, Merkel’s clearest indication yet of what she means when she argues that the answer to the eurozone crisis is more, not less Europe.

On economic integration, the CDU’s proposals focus on disciplining countries that fail to respect limits on debts and public deficits. They would be referred to the European Court of Justice, and – as the programme describes it – an “EU Austerity Commissioner” would be appointed to chivvy the national government into budget cuts.

The freshest aspects of the proposals were political. Under the CDU’s plans, the right to make legislative proposals, which is currently the exclusive right of the European Commission, would be extended to both the Council of Ministers and to the European Parliament. The president of the Commission would be directly elected by EU citizens. And the EU would eventually develop a bicameral political system, made up of the Parliament and the Council, each enjoying equal status.

Could Merkel’s policy become German policy? That depends now on the two smaller parties in the governing coalition.

Click Here: cheap nrl jerseys

Their consent on economic issues seems the easier task. The CDU’s Bavarian centre-right sibling, the Christian Social Union (CSU), is likely to support moves to tighten economic discipline. The liberal Free Democrats (FDP) also favour greater economic discipline.

However, the CSU has traditionally resisted the transfer of power away from Germany’s federal states to central government and to the EU institutions.
The FDP’s leaders will probably seek to keep the party true to its pro-European traditions, but voters’ frustration over the eurozone bail-outs has strengthened a Eurosceptic wing of the party.