Brussels, 10/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - In the speech which has attracted a great deal of attention at Humboldt University in Berlin on 9 May (see related article), Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier called for the EU, which he would like to see become a “Federation of Nation States”, to take on a “strong identity and a strong voice” with the posts of President of the European Council and President of the European Commission becoming one. The two, currently very distinct, posts are held at the moment by Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso respectively. “One day a future president of the European Union, whoever he or she will be, should both preside over the European Council and chair the European Commission where, I can bear personal witness, proposals and motivations which are as close as possible to the common interest are shaped”, Barnier said. The person leading the EU, who would be proposed by heads of state or government, “could have their power vested in them by a Congress comprising both the European Parliament and representatives of the national parliaments”. Further in the future, the leader of the EU could be directly elected, he suggested. “In this new dynamic, the European Parliament, directly elected by these peoples, would see a boost to its legitimacy”, he said. When asked by press on Tuesday 10 May whether Barroso favoured a directly elected President of the EU, whose role would encompass the two functions, the Commission spokesman said only that Barnier was expressing “a personal opinion”.
Common defence, European civil protection force. In his Berlin speech, Barnier also called for the relaunch of a European defence policy, if necessary by means of structured cooperation which is now possible with the Lisbon Treaty. “A true military staff structure, systematically bringing together research efforts and resources, and favouring European products when purchasing equipment. All of this goes far beyond the necessary, but insufficient, cooperation between France and the United Kingdom, or between Germany and Sweden. The EU needs to set up a permanent capacity to plan and carry out operations in the way suggested by Poland, Germany and France. All in all, the objective must be that Europe is ready to take responsibility more and more for its own collective defence, but also become a robust and credible partner for the United States”, he said. The commissioner also suggested setting up a “European Civil Defence Force” able to prepare our response to the natural, industrial and humanitarian catastrophes, and a network of European consulates throughout the rest of the world which would bring together, at the very least, the countries of the Schengen area willing to work together and jointly provide assistance to their compatriots. (H.B./transl.rt)