The rise of the EU’s economic government: Proposals on the table and what has already been achieved, June 2010

With German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy saying that a change to the EU Treaties might be necessary to achieve stronger economic governance, Open Europe has published a briefing in June 2010 outlining recent developments and moves towards an 'economic government' for the EU.

While the UK risks getting pressured into an EU-wide economic government that is essentially supposed to solve the problems of the eurozone, the UK could also use this to its advantage, and decide to work with Angela Merkel, using her demand for Treaty change to repatriate powers back to Westminster.

The contrasting Franco-German visions of the euro are at near breaking point and it remains to be seen whether German taxpayers will stomach any further incursions on economic sovereignty in the guise of a French-inspired economic government.

• Primary Source

Open Europe: Press Release, 16.6.10: The rise of the EU's economic government http://www.openeurope.org.uk/media-centre/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=140

Open Europe: How the EU elite got it wrong on the euro, June 2010 http://www.openeurope.org.uk/research/eurotheysaidit.pdf

Open Europe: Press Release, 26.5.10: How the EU elite got it wrong on the euro: broken promises and reckless predictions from before the crisis http://www.openeurope.org.uk/media-centre/pressrelease.aspx?pressreleaseid=139

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