The shadow summit denounced the Franco-German ‘directoire’ and the two nation's initiative to cobble together a European treaty outside the EU framework.
Instead, it advocated a convention of representatives from the European and national parliaments, the Commission, civic organisations and heads of state.
The federalist meeting was attended by the European Parliament's liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt, co-chair of the Green group Daniel Cohn-Bendit, and former Greek Prime Minister Konstantinos Simitis.
The group adopted a statement which appears as a wish-list of economic measures and initiatives to strengthen democracy in the European Union.
In the economic field, the group calls for the creation of a European Monetary Fund, the introduction of eurobonds and for extending the powers of the European Central Bank.
Speaking before the announcement that the eurozone countries would establish a treaty outside the EU framework, Verhofstadt warned that this was "not a way forward".
"People are fed up with political leaders, but they still believe in Europe. What we need is an ‘agora’ where citizens have their say," Verhofstadt said.
Some of the statements made at the shadow summit may now sound naïve in light of the latest developments.
Andrew Duff, a prominent British MEP and spokesman on constitutional affairs for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE), said that UK Prime Minister David Cameron was going to be "constructive" and not seek specific British opt-outs during the leadership summit.
In fact, eurozone countries embarked last night (8 December) on the less enviable option of a treaty among the 17 eurozone countries, open to others, after Cameron made "unacceptable demands" to exempt Britain from financial regulations, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said.
COMMENTS
I quite agree about the secretive nature of the EU, just one of its myriad unattractions. I just don't understand the desire to have to have some form of political union an dthe desire to subvert or eliminate the idea of a nation state - and please don't say that the nation state concept is the cause of war and unrest. The USA has been engaged in enough wars in the last 40 years albeit on other peoples' territories. Would I die for the EU if it were engaged, as a country, in war elsewhere? Like hell. Finally, Sarkozy describes Britain's demands as "unacceptable" - just like the CAP is unacceptable to many (40% of the EU budget goes to 5% of the EU population - bloody madness
I am actually for a closer union. How this should be done is another question. The Franco-German core isn't ideal but someone needs to take a lead and after all, they are the major contributing countries to the EU.
A federal union like the US though might be too much to ask for and therefore might result in an eventual weakening of the union as nations resent too much centralization.
Perhaps an approach like the swiss one might be preferable where each nations has more autonomy and only key issues are treated on the federal level.
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