Will Merkel get her wish for a Unites States of Europe led by nannycrats in Brussels? I suspect not because a vote would likely go up in flames.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's plans for a new treaty governing the European Union are becoming more concrete. SPIEGEL has learned that the German leader wants the EU to begin working on a draft this year, with the aim of providing Brussels with greater power to monitor budgets. But many countries are deeply opposed to the idea.
A date for the beginning of the convention is expected to be fixed at an EU summit in December. Merkel has been pushing for some time now to complement the recently approved fiscal pact, which harmonizes budget policies within 25 of the EU's 27 countries, with a political union. Germany would like to see, for example, a legal basis that would give the European Court of Justice the jurisdiction to monitor the budgets of member states and to punish deficit offenders.
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Europe is already falling apart. But Germany needs to keep the illusion of 'Drang nach Zusammenheit' (Drive towards Togetherness) however unrealistic, while she prepasres Plan B (Neues Drang nach Osten).
Plan B, probably devised by Merkel and Putin ages ago, is for Germany and Russia to form their own 'association' like in 1922-33 and in 1939-41. Once the groundwork is complete for this, the Germans will say to 'the Rest' either come aboard OUR new Eurasian Partnership or go your own ways.
A German-Russian Partnership is far more likely to succeed than the present EU mess. German knowhow plus Russian resources, but also German Ordnung und Diziplin combining with Russian Presidential Tsarism. It could become a formidable combination, thjough not perhaps welcome to neighbouring states.
And it would be far more profitable for the Germans than the present EU mess. Russia is crying out for investment, Germany is desperate to export. No EU red tape, squabbling etc. The Presidfent/Tsar's word is (almost)law. Germany could leave the PIIGS to sink or swim and simply choose her partners for this new Association, with the Kremlin's approval.
Eventually such an Association would take over both fro the EU and NATO.
But in the meantime Merkel has to play musical chairs with the EU idea, pushing it to its logical conclusion - which appasrently noone else actually wants. Carry on Frau Merkel les jeux sont en progres, les jeux ne sont pas encore faits...