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França,
Alemanha, Itália e Espanha defendem União Europeia a várias
velocidades
Os
líderes francês, alemão, espanhol e italiano defenderam hoje,
depois de um encontro em Versalhes, perto de Paris, uma Europa a
várias velocidades, que permita que os Estados-membros da União
Europeia avancem mais rapidamente que outros.
Lusa
06 de março de 2017
às 20:38
"A unidade não
é a uniformidade", disse François Hollande, depois do encontro
com a chanceler alemã, Angela Merkel, e os primeiros-ministros
espanhol, Mariano Rajoy, e italiano, Paolo Gentiloni.
Numa declaração
conjunta, François Hollande disse que defende "novas formas de
cooperação, para novos projectos", ou seja, uma "cooperação
diferenciada".
Com a cooperação
diferenciada, segundo François Hollande, "alguns países"
podem "ir mais rápido" em "áreas como a defesa, euro
ou através do aprofundamento da união económica e monetária, como
a harmonização fiscal e social, ou na cultura e juventude".
Para Angela Merkel,
os europeus devem "ter a coragem de aceitar de que alguns países
possam ir mais rápido do que outros", sem fechar as
possibilidades para os que estão mais atrasados.
"Mas precisamos
de avançar", insistiu.
O líder italiano
defendeu mais integração europeia, mas "com diferentes níveis
de integração".
O primeiro-ministro
espanhol também defendeu uma União Europeia a várias velocidades,
sublinhando que Espanha quer "ir mais longe" na integração.
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In
Versailles, EU’s big 4 back multispeed Europe
Leaders
of Germany, France, Italy and Spain call for greater integration —
at your own pace.
By MAÏA DE LA BAUME
AND DAVID M. HERSZENHORN 3/6/17, 10:00 PM CET Updated 3/6/17, 10:47
PM CET
Call them the
Formidable 4.
With Britain’s
departure looming, the leaders of the four largest remaining EU
powers — Germany, France, Italy and Spain — met in Versailles
Monday and endorsed the concept of a multispeed Europe, in which
members of the bloc would pursue greater integration but at each
country’s own chosen pace
The gathering of
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande,
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and Spanish Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy was a notable, if symbolic, show of muscle and
solidarity by the four wealthiest and most populous EU countries, and
signaled their resolve in forming a unified core of continental
continuity after Brexit.
The EU is a club
that enjoys breaking down into cliques, at times overlapping
mini-coalitions based on shared geography or interests. There is the
Visegrad Group of emerging Central European powers — Poland,
Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. There is the so-called Club
Med, often led by Greece, of sunnier southern nations. There are the
tiny Baltics who share much in common, especially a keen wariness on
Russia. And there is the Nordic Council, cool-tempered in climate and
demeanor (whose members include non-EU Norway and Iceland).
But rarely have the
EU’s major powers felt a need to flaunt their weight, with their
combined manufacturing prowess, military might and dominance of the
financial sector typically speaking for itself. Brexit, and an
alarming wave of Euroskeptic populism, seems to have changed that.
But they have done so at other moments of perceived crisis, such as
in 2012 when the same four nations announced a €130 billion growth
program to pull Europe out of a debt crisis that was putting the euro
at risk.
In a statement to
the press afterward, the leaders spoke in four languages but with
essentially one voice.
A senior EU official
with knowledge of the talks in Versailles said the four-country
format had been decided “because the opportunity came up.”
“If the
opportunity rises up again in the future, we will do it again,” he
added.
The meeting of the
Formidable 4 did not include anything special or surprising. Indeed,
the leaders seemed to focus only on communicating a common response
to the white paper issued last week by European Commission President
Jean-Claude Juncker laying out five potential scenarios for the
future of the EU.
That common response
was a clear preference for scenario 3, the so-called multispeed
Europe. Rather than bending to the Euroskeptics, it calls for greater
cooperation and integration to the degree each country is ready for
it, on issues such as defense, security, taxation and social
policies. The meeting was essentially a show of unity ahead of the
upcoming EU summits in Brussels and Rome, as well as the expected
triggering by Britain of Article 50 this month.
In a statement to
the press afterward, the leaders spoke in four languages but with
essentially one voice.
Hollande called it
“differentiated cooperations,” while Merkel called on the EU to
accept “that some countries will go faster than others.”
Gentiloni said we should allow “different levels of integration”
to take place.
“It was necessary
for us four to all gather here to realize that we are in a time of
tension,” Merkel said. “We need optimism … and the ability to
act.”
She added, “We
must have the courage to accept that some countries go ahead and can
make progress a little faster than others.”
Rajoy said his
country was ready to go further with EU integration. “Our countries
must make choices,” he said. “Because without choices, we will
undermine the EU.”
Authors:
Maïa de La Baume
and David M. Herszenhorn
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