EU close to being a federal state, says Danish MEP
By Lisbeth Kirk
"We are 5 per cent from a real European federal state and claims about the independence of countries will have a more and more hollow ring".
These words by Danish Social Democrat MEP Torben Lund, due to be published in an article on the European Parliament website, have stirred a hot summer debate in his country.
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Leading the pro-EU Danish Social Democrat’s in the European Parliament since 1999, Mr Lund is not known to be eurocritical and his article has caused some raised eyebrows.
"A very large number of decisions on vital areas of society have now moved from the national parliaments to the EU institutions, where democratic legitimacy is much poorer than in the national organs", Mr Lund’s analysis says.
He points out that the work of the police and the Criminal Code could also soon become areas of Brussels sovereignty if the Constitution is adopted in its current form, as drafted by the Convention of Europe's future over the past year.
"I am not sure the citizens are in any way aware of what is going on. All the changes are duly labelled in calming phrases", he warns in the article.
Henrik Dam Kristensen, representing the Danish Parliament in the Convention and one of the candidates most likely to replace Mr Lund in the European Parliament after next year's elections has reacted with surprise to his colleague's announcement.
"I totally disagree with Torben’s analysis. They can be disproved point by point. As an example the formulation in the Rome Treaty of an "ever closer union" will be replaced by a formulation about a union building on national identities", he says to Politiken.
On Friday, the Danish Social Democrats will begin negotiations with the liberal-led government on positions in the upcoming Intergovernmental Conference which will finalise the draft constitution.
The IGC, which brings together high-level government representatives, will start in October.