'More EU integration must mean more democracy'

Reflection Group of EU ministers, Royal Castle, Warsaw: photo - PAP/Leszek Szymanski

Foreign ministers from Poland, Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Portugal met at the Royal Castle in the Polish capital on Monday to discuss and propose ideas on organisational and structural change within the European Union.

Conscious of a 'democratic deficit' within the 27 nation bloc, Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski told reporters that the final report of the so-called Reflection Group may propose direct elections for the two top posts in the EU, that of president of the EU and president of the European Commission, posts currently held by Herman van Rompuy and Jose Barroso.

“This could be a good answer to the lack of confidence that presently can be seen within the EU,” Sikorski said.

“This is one possibility. Of course there are more pressing issues related to the healing of the eurozone, but we all know that the more [politically] integrated the EU is, the more democratic it will have to be, retaining some core sovereignty: and certain attributes must always remain with Member States,” Sikorski added.

The Reflection Group was initially set up by Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to address issues including democracy in Europe, institutional issues and EU economic governance. (pg)

source: PAP