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Why leaders don't speak about Europe

Published 08 June 2009
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"Should Europe be a coalition of states or examine the ability to manage in a common and federal manner its currency, its environment, its energy, its safety, its welfare and its economic development?," asks Emmanuel Morucci, a French sociologist and member of the 'Team Europe-France' network, on his blog.

"The European question, the issue of the European Parliament's new role in the European institutional landscape, and its responsibility for societal choices don't even seem to interest either candidates or party leaders" in France, wrote Morucci ahead of the European elections.

"They lock themselves in a 'Franco-French' vision of Europe, which is according to them a continuity of the French Republic," he deplored. Some tried to transform the European elections into "national intermediate elections," he added.

The European Parliament will soon "acquire powers far greater than those available today," Morucci recalled. "Institutional reform that will follow the Lisbon Treaty's entry into force will provide colours and a name to the EU presidency," he said.

In the near future, the European parliamentary majority must decide who will lead Europe in the coming years at the head of the Council and the Commission, Morucci recalled.

"The real issue is whether the candidates offer a political Europe or a simple collation of intergovernmental interests," he said. "It's on what Europe is able to do and produce that we want to listen to candidates," he insisted.

Morucci concluded that it had been difficult to find out what the candidates and parties think about the euro, the environment, energy, safety, welfare and the economy during the campaign. 

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