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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Friday, 29.03.2024, 16:11

EU's founding members back two-speed Europe

BC, Riga, 10.02.2016.Print version
The six founding members of the European Union on Tuesday reiterated their commitment to "ever closer union" – essentially expressing support for a two-speed European Union, LETA/AFP reports.

A two-speed EU is already a reality to an extent, with only 19 of the 28 member states having adopted the euro single currency – although all the other countries, except Britain and Denmark, are theoretically committed to working towards joining.

 

London has demanded an opt-out from the "ever closer union" principle enshrined in the EU's treaties as part of reforms it wants to agree before holding a referendum on its membership of the bloc.

 

The idea of formally enshrining the "two-speed" principle has long been taboo among supporters of deeper integration who often argue that the union is like a bicycle which can only balance when it is moving forward.

 

At informal talks in Rome, the foreign ministers of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands issued a joint communique in which they admitted to being "concerned about the state of the European project".

 

They said the EU was facing "very challenging times" due to the migration crisis and the threat posed by terrorism.

 

And they insisted that, for them, the answer lay in more, not less integration while also acknowledging that not every country in what is now a 28-member bloc should have to agree.

 

"We firmly believe that the European Union remains the best answer we have for today's challenges and allows for different paths of integration," the communique read.

 

"We remain resolved to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the people of Europe," the ministers said.






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