Brussels, 12/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 11 September, the ministers of foreign affairs from Germany, Spain and Belgium, and the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, argued for a more federal and more integrated approach of the EU, whether it be on the budgetary, economic or social level, and also as regards defence and security, in all domains and workings of the EU. “Only the European horizon will enable us to get out of the crisis”, said the Spanish minister, José Manuel Garcia.
“By the end of the year we should be able to set directions, and to implement them in the framework of the current treaties, from next year. But at the same time the debate must be continued if we want to go further and perhaps, after the European elections of 2014, have a true convention, a true debate on intensifying federal Europe”, said the Belgian minister, Didier Reynders, as he came out of the meeting with the leaders of the parliamentary groups and the president of the European Parliament. Reynders added that, like his counterparts, he was “very much” awaiting “the proposals that the European Parliament will be able to formulate on the more democratic functioning of the better integrated EU” (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)