“Radical” plans to change the treaties which bind members of the EU27 together would result in the construction of a “superstate” led by Germany, a Brussels insider has warned.
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski MEP, an MEP for Poland’s Law and Justice Party, offered a scathing verdict on today’s adoption of the European Parliament’s proposed amendments, spearheaded by, among others, arch-Brexit critic Guy Verhofstadt.
Mr Saryusz-Wolski, speaking on behalf of the Parliament’s European Conservatives and Reformists group, said: “The European Parliament is launching a plan to change the Treaties which, if not stopped, will mean a massive transfer of powers to the EU and a complete change in the Community system.
“The proposed reform of the EU Treaties would mean a complete change of system and the construction of a superstate. It proposes a radical centralisation of the EU, transforming it de facto into a centralised oligarchic European superstate beyond democratic control.
“Adopting these changes means weakening the Member States by reducing and taking over their competences.”
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The text which has been proposed by Mr Verhofstadt (Renew), Sven Simon (EPP), Gabriele Bischoff (S&D), Daniel Freund (Verts/ALE) and Helmut Scholz (The Left) is the result of discussions which took place during the Conference on the Future of Europe, concluded in May 2022.
The ECR Group has been fiercely critical of the conference, on the basis that it was “dominated by speakers representing politically biased and centralist perspective”.
Mr Saryusz-Wolski, who was one of the conference’s co-rapporteurs until July 2023, when he withdrew, explained: “The work on the report was carried out in a non-transparent and unfair manner.
“Although consensus was established as the main decision-making procedure, this was quickly changed to ‘consensus minus one’ to exclude the ECR.
“Despite the gravity of the topics concerning the EU’s constitutional changes, there has not been sufficiently in-depth discussion and comprehensive analysis regarding all the topics.
“Changes of a purely political and ideological nature have been pushed through.”
“Thoroughly substantiated and concrete proposals” submitted by himself on behalf of the ECR aimed at reinforce the functioning of “treaty-based principles of subsidiarity and proportionality” were rejected outright, he said.
Mr Saryusz-Wolski had repeatedly raised objections to the amendments proposed by the representatives of the other political groups, he emphasised.
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The draft report, prepared in his absence, was “completely unacceptable to the ECR group, he continued.
He said: “The report also proposes cultural and ideological changes by replacing the term ‘equality between men and women’ throughout the EU treaties with the term ‘gender equality’, which refers to anti-scientific, intrusive gender ideology.
“The proposed Treaty changes reduce the role of states to that of federal states: the smaller Member States would be vassals of the big ones and Germany will be the hegemon. It is significant that four of the five rapporteurs come from Germany.
“The centralisation of the EU is apparently a German obsession, even if it could bring down the entire EU edifice.”
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The text was adopted in Committee with 19 in favour, six against and one abstention.
The plenary vote is expected to take place in November in Strasbourg.
Former Belgium PM Mr Verhofstadt shared a picture of himself and three other co-rapporteurs, commenting: When times change and war is back on the continent, Europe has to be reformed urgently …
“Co-rapporteurs get AFCO in European Parliament behind one shared view on Treaty change …”
Referring to the European Council, made up of the leaders of the EU27, he said: “Time for #EUCO to prepare for a Convention!”
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