The Netherlands advocacy for a “government of the euro area” – The Obs

Artisan Angela Merkel of the agreement ripped ago a week to save Greece, Francois Hollande intends to continue to display the leading role of France in the euro area. In an article signed this Sunday, July 19 in the “JDD” the head of state explains that Paris is ready to participate ” a strengthened organization “of the euro area and to constitute” with the countries that will decide in a forefront. “

# The finding of Holland

Francois Hollande appears convinced European, who is worried that Europe trample too long.

What threatens us, it is not Europe but the excess of its insufficiency “, he says, in response to the Eurosceptics criticize the alleged loss of sovereignty of France.

“Europe has left its institutions weaken and the 28 governments struggle to agree to move forward. Parliaments are still too far decisions. And people turn away through being bypassed, “says François Hollande in this forum as a tribute to the former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors .

The Union can not be reduced to rules, mechanisms or disciplines, “further emphasizes the French president.

# This proposed Holland

With this in mind, Francois Hollande gives his vision of the European future and therefore offers to resume an old idea of ​​Jacques Delors: that of a government of the euro area, which it would add “a specific budget and a Parliament to ensure democratic control.” A proposal already put forward during the traditional television interview of 14-July.

Sharing a currency, this is much more than wanting a convergence. It is a choice that 19 countries have done so because it was their interest. No government elsewhere for 15 years has taken the responsibility to get out, “the President

Understanding. To preserve” the European spirit “, the euro area must be more political and less regulation.

The head of state remains very vague revenge on the contours of this new governance desired It specifies neither the scope nor the calendar nor the institutional functioning.

# An idea not new

This idea of ​​”government of the euro area” to better economic integration is not new, Jacques Delors argues longtime effect in his favor. But this proposal is not the preserve of the left. In 2008 and in 2011, Nicolas Sarkozy had advocated the establishment of an “economic government” for the euro area, working alongside the European Central Bank (ECB) .

“It is not possible that the euro area will continue without clearly identified economic government”, and said it was seven years ago the former President to the European Parliament. Cooled by skepticism from the European Commission then headed by José Manuel Barroso, Nicolas Sarkozy never managed to impose his idea, despite the late support of Angela Merkel in 2011.

More recently last May, in a document of a few pages to the president of the commission Jean-Claude Juncker, Merkel and François Hollande … (already) said they were in favor of the establishment of an economic government of the eurozone. A joint contribution for the time left unheeded, hence certainly the revival carried Sunday by the head of the French state.

Le Pen # headwind, Raffarin fatalistic

If unsurprisingly Manuel Valls hailed the presidential idea – “must be fully back the initiative, that is what the President of the Republic since 2012, his voice was isolated, now it is shared, I am delighted, “he loose – Marine Le Pen was one of the first lambasted Hollande:

The euro is a failure, as was again demonstrated the Greek case, so do even more euro! That is the thinking of Francis Holland. [...] C A s accomplices of the euro does so little regard for France to be so unable to imagine otherwise qu’entravée, duress, melted in a space supranational?

On the right, the former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is fatalistic and reminds that the proposal of France “is rejected by our partners” .

G.S.