THE GUARDIAN: German leader calls for 'not less Europe, but more' to improve economic situation
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has called for a stronger political union in Europe to overcome the ongoing debt crisis, which she called "maybe Europe's most difficult hours since world war two".
A breakthrough in the crisis will be achieved not by "less Europe, but more", she told members of her conservative party gathered for their annual convention in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday.
The European Union's treaties must be overhauled to create a tighter political union, including measures to force countries in violation of fiscal discipline rules to face tough and automatic sanctions, even possibly hauling them to the European court of justice, Merkel said.
"We must develop the European Union's structure further. That does not mean less Europe, but more. That means creating an [sic] Europe that ensures that the euro has a future," she said.
She added that the crisis led people across the continent to realise that the problems of any state within the 17-nation eurozone today are also the problems of all other members.
"Our responsibility no longer stops at our countries' borders," she said. » | Associated Press | Monday, November 14, 2011
