The European Union should be massively expanded both in scope and power in order to have a greater influence on world events, Germany’s left-wing Chancellor has declared.
Olaf Scholz, the leftist leader of Germany, declared his support for the massive expansion of the European Union on Saturday, arguing that the transnational bloc should be enlarged in order to have a greater influence on worldly affairs.
The Chancellor also advocated for even more powers to be taken from individual nation-states and handed to Brussels, something which he paradoxically believes would constitute a “gain” in sovereignty.
According to a report by Der Spiegel, Scholz pledged his support to see the EU on board even more member states in the coming months, with Brussels currently actively working to integrate the likes of Moldova, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina into the bloc.
“A united European Union of 27, 30, 36 states with then more than 500 million free and equal citizens can bring their weight to bear even more in this world,” the leftist leader declared in support of the expansion during a speech at the Congress of the Party of European Socialists, a transnational political organisation encompassing many left-wing parties operating at the national level throughout the EU.
Scholz also backed calls for increasing EU control of military power within the block, saying that the union now must “confidently advance joint European defence efforts”, while calling for a so-called “rapid response team” to be established by 2025, as well as an EU military headquarters with a “clear command structure”.
Perhaps most notably, the Chancellor also demanded the end of unanimity votes within the European Union, a measure which up until now has allowed individual member states to effectively veto moves made by Brussels that go against their interests, instead arguing that all decisions should be put down to a simple majority.
Despite such a move effectively meaning that national governments within the bloc would effectively lose the ability to rule themselves, having lost the final say on the legislation enacted and enforced within their own territory, such a transition to a majority rules framework would somehow represent an expansion of sovereignty for these states. The unanimity rule was introduced as a safeguard for smaller states to prevent them from being railroaded by the club of elite nations that really run the Union.
“But I also say clearly: If a geopolitical Europe is our goal, then majority decisions are a gain and not a loss of sovereignty,” Scholz declared to his transnational allies gathered at the party congress.
While no doubt a significant cause for concern for many less Europhilic administrations currently operating within the bloc, the Chancellor’s statement is not all that surprising considering the militantly pro-EU background of the German politician.
In fact, the statement appears to be totally in keeping with Scholz’s modus operandi, with the official at the helm of a coalition government that explicitly aims to push for the expansion of the EU, so that the bloc ends up becoming a kind of federal state.
Such a “United States of Europe” appears to also be desired by current French leaders, with President Emmanuel Macron also openly stating that he wants to see the EU become ever more powerful.
“We want to get … a powerful Europe in the world, fully sovereign, free to make its choices and master of its own destiny,” Macron declared at the start of the year.
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