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Germany's Schaeuble says EU must assume more active global role

REUTERS

 

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble attends a presentation of a newly designed 2-Euro coin at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany February 10, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday the European Union must take on a bigger international role, saying the answer to crises from security to climate change, was to stick together and stop relying on the United States.

 

The veteran member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's government and committed European, said Europe had waited too long for the United States to act and make up for deficiencies in EU policy.

 

"It is high time that we think more about the international role of Europe, apart from all the homework we have to do within the EU," he wrote in a column for the Funke media group on the first day of the international Munich Security Conference.

 

Germany, for decades haunted by its legacy of starting World War Two and the Holocaust, is gradually taking on a more active role, for example, by participating in more military missions abroad.

 

"More Americans are asking, not wrongly, and not just since the latest presidential election, whether duties and responsibilities are distributed appropriately in the transatlantic alliance," he wrote.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has raised questions about his commitment to NATO and wants EU members, such as Germany, to increase defence spending.

 

Schaeuble rejected retreating into nationalist or isolationist policies.

 

"The big questions of our time - whether about security, climate protection, migration or competition, are not answered by going it alone," he wrote. "For us, German responsibility means acting together. The European Union is indispensable."

 

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Louise Ireland)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-02-17

[thaibeachlovers]

Please no! The EU leadership has stuffed up the EU countries and if they start interfering with other countries they are just going to stuff them up too.

They'll probably try to get other western nations to take lots of those illegal immigrants trying to get into Europe because of Merkel, despite it being apparent ( to all that can see ) that their policy is causing chaos in the EU.

[jpinx]

31 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Please no! The EU leadership has stuffed up the EU countries and if they start interfering with other countries they are just going to stuff them up too.

They'll probably try to get other western nations to take lots of those illegal immigrants trying to get into Europe because of Merkel, despite it being apparent ( to all that can see ) that their policy is causing chaos in the EU.

So true - given the way EU is governed.  Matters relating to member countries foreign policy are not under the jurisdiction of the EU, so Schauble is advocating a massive step towards a federalised europe ( with Germany in charge, of course...)

[elgordo38]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Germany's Schaeuble says EU must assume more active global role

I think he is trying to say global rule. Everybody wants a bigger piece of the pie. 

[Baerboxer]

3 hours ago, jpinx said:

So true - given the way EU is governed.  Matters relating to member countries foreign policy are not under the jurisdiction of the EU, so Schauble is advocating a massive step towards a federalised europe ( with Germany in charge, of course...)

 

I think you are right. There are 28 member states (currently). Britain has already stated it intends to leave. How many of those other 27 were involved in the "talks" when that was first announced? Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Then Germany, France and Italy - when the Italian PM said he couldn't agree and hinted he didn't like the way the talks went.

As for the other members - do as your told would seem to be the order of the day.

 

I suspect this old federalist really means Germany should be playing a more active role, under the banner of the EU. Those federalists really do see the EU as being nothing more than Greater Germany. 

 

Maybe Germany should pay up what they owe for NATO contributions they've avoided for starters? And maybe he should explain why he's making these comments and not the Italian lady who heads the EU's foreign relations?