European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker yesterday issued a rallying cry for unity after Brexit, saying the EU is not in danger of splitting up, but must fight back against “galloping populism.”
In his annual State of the Union speech, Juncker unveiled a raft of economic and security proposals to find common ground after a year of crisis, including a EU defense headquarters.
“The European Union still does not have enough union,” Juncker told the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “There are splits out there and often fragmentation where we need further union, that is leaving space for galloping populism.”
Photo: Reuters
“We should admit we have many unresolved problems,’’ he said, and asked an existential question about the future, if any, for the EU — “will Europe disappear from the international scene?’’
“The facts are plain: The world is getting bigger. And we are getting smaller,” Juncker said, adding that only standing together, however difficult that is, can fix the problem.
Juncker’s keenly awaited speech comes two days before the 27 EU leaders meet without Britain in the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, for a summit aimed at drawing up a roadmap for the future after the British vote to leave.
The head of the EU executive urged Britain to trigger its formal divorce as quickly as possible so that both sides can move on to face the challenges of a dangerous and uncertain world.
“We respect and at the same time regret the UK decision, but the European Union as such is not at risk,” said Juncker, who spoke in a mixture of German, French and English during the speech.
The 61-year-old former Luxembourgian prime minister called for ties to “remain on a friendly basis,” but warned that London could not expect a la carte access to the EU’s single market if it brings back immigration controls.
Juncker also hit out at rising nationalism and racism, referring to the recent killing of a Polish man in Britain.
“We Europeans can never accept Polish workers being harassed, beaten up or even murdered on the streets of Harlow,” he said
With Europe increasingly divided by issues ranging from the migration crisis to terrorism, Juncker’s speech focused on security and the economy to find ways that EU nations can work together.
Juncker said there “must be a European HQ and work towards a common military force” — both plans that Britain had long been hostile to and which will come up at tomorrow’s summit.
However, he said that this should be “complementary with NATO” in reference to concerns that the EU will be treading on the toes of the US-led military alliance, which is also based in Brussels.
He proposed doubling the size of his signature investment plan to 630 billion euros (US$708 billion), and announced measures to help young people hit by the eurozone debt crisis.
With Europe facing its biggest migration crisis since World War II, Juncker also called for a new EU border and coast guard force to start work quickly with 200 guards and 50 vehicles deployed in Bulgaria by next month.
He announced an ambitious investment plan for African countries to stem the migration crisis, and touted a plan for free mobile roaming and wireless Internet in cities across the EU.
Juncker won polite applause for his speech from the members of parliament, but was savaged by MEP Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, which led the push for Brexit.
“Having listened to you, I am pleased we voted to leave,” Farage said. “It was the usual recipe, more Europe — and in this particular case, more military Europe.”
Additional reporting by AP
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