Schäuble advocates separate eurozone parliament

Germany's finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble said on the 27 January 2014 that he was open to the creation of a separate European parliament for countries using the euro, a step that could deepen divisions within the European Union, according to EurActiv.

British Liberal MEPs have also proposed the creation of permanent European Parliament committee to deal with the single currency. Both this idea and the one from the German finance minister were criticised by British Conservative MEPs saying it would have “major implications for the UK to regulate its financial services sector” and represented an attempt to “curtail” the influence of British MEPs.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Isolated in Brussels: Merkel Clashes with EU Commission http://www.europeansources.info/record/isolated-in-brussels-merkel-clashes-with-eu-commission/

ESO: Background information: Europe’s ‘structural reform’ agenda is little more than a fairytale http://www.europeansources.info/record/europes-structural-reform-agenda-is-little-more-than-a-fairytale/

EUObserver, 29.01.14: Schaeuble sees need for separate eurozone parliament http://euobserver.com/institutional/122884

EurActiv, 05.02.14: UK Conservatives balk at plans for eurozone parliament http://www.euractiv.com/uk-europe/uk-conservatives-balk-plans-euro-news-533273

EUObserver, 12.02.14; Would a eurozone committee enrich the EU parliament? http://euobserver.com/news/123054

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