President Sarkozy has dealt with determination the emergencies that the Union had to face in Georgia and on financial markets. He was able to affirm in world politics the European point of view, but only after exhausting negotiations with other governments. Now, he recognizes that Europe needs an economic government. In truth, Europe needs a real democratic government, because:
- citizens have a right to know who decides in Europe, have the right to choose who should govern them and have the right to change the government if they were governed badly;
- Europe needs a European Foreign minister who speaks to the world with one voice;
- Europe needs a Minister of Economy and Finance to flank the European Central Bank in the management of the European economy;
- Europe needs a Minister of the Environment that promotes the ecological conversion of the economy with a coherent economic plan for sustainable development.
Whoever proposes a European government should be aware that:
- the European government must be democratically accountable to the European Parliament and European citizens, who must decide with their votes who governs them;
- there will be no European foreign and security policy until national governments retain the veto right on European issues;
- that there will be no real European economic and environmental policy as long as the European government is not endowed with fiscal powers, to feed an autonomous European budget.
The European federalists ask, as a first step towards a European government, democratically accountable to European citizens, that the European parties designate a candidate for President of the European Commission in the European elections in June 2009. Citizens should be able to choose with their votes not just a party, but also those who will be responsible for implementing EU policies.
