The bleak choice was offered in an interview with a leading German newspaper by former Foreign Affairs Minister and Vice Chancellor, Joschka Fischer, who told the leading German newspaper Die Zeit that the EU has two options: dissolve or form a political union within the next 2-3 years.

“We have to watch out that we don’t lose Europe” he said adding that “the European continent will exist without the euro but as a political and cultural project it would be dead.”

Fischer does not see how the current 27 states will ever come up with meaningful reforms.  “We should forget about the EU with 27 members,” he said, explaining that in practice this would mean that the core 17 EU nations would build an “avant-garde,” with the purpose of safeguard the common interest of Europe.

He added that the key to saving Europe is to save the Euro first which can only be done by creating a political union.  Ultimately, Fischer said, “a Euro-Chamber would be upgraded as an actual parliament with decision-making and veto powers.” In this Euro-Chamber, he suggested that national parliamentarians and party leaders would have a voice at the European level.  He proposed that such a political union be built on the example of the Schengen Agreement, the European free travel zone.

(Photo © DR)