Verheugen and Lamy propose Franco-German federation
By Lisbeth Kirk
The German European Commissioner Günter Verheugen and his French colleague Pascal Lamy have called for a Franco-German federation. In a joint contribution published in Berliner Zeitung and Liberation they propose a Franco-German federation with common governmental institutions. The two countries should have common foreign, security, and financial policies.
The two Commissioners have the same political background; Verheugen in the German SPD-party and Lamy is a French Socialist. Their ideas are set to fall in line with the joint Franco-German declaration on closer co-operation between the two countries to be published tomorrow as the 40th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty is marked.
Core-Europe
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When the EU is enlarged to 25 countries by 2004 the European Union faces a risk to be watered down without a German-Franco renewal, the two Commissioners argue.
Other EU countries, sharing the goals of France and Germany, would be invited to join the German-Franco federation.
The intention is not to create "an island without bridges to the European Union"; but rather build on the idea of a Core-Europe, which was developed by the German CDU politician Wolfgang Schäuble in the 1990’s.