© The Irish TimesA couple of M&Ms
The European Union's need for deep reforms is so dire that even the idea of changing the EU treaty is "not taboo," new French President Emmanuel Macron said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday.
During Macron's first foreign visit since his inauguration Sunday, he told Merkel that he was
"happy" to work together with Germany "on a common roadmap for the European Union and the eurozone." The French leader said that
"deep reforms" are required for the EU that "need common work" from Paris and Berlin. "In the past, the subject of treaty change was a French taboo. It will no longer be the case," Macron said, as cited by Reuters.
Merkel supported the French leader, saying that
change in treaties could be possible if they "strengthen the eurozone," but stressed that such amendments were not expected in the short term. "First, we need to work on what we want to change, and then if it turns out it needs a treaty change, then we're prepared to do that," she said.
The EU operates in accordance with two key deals: the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (1957) and the Treaty on European Union (1992), as well as various additional accords. Amending the EU treaties requires agreement and ratification from all the bloc's member states.Some of the key EU principles, such as the freedom of movement, have been contested by a number of member states in connection with immigration control. The UK had notably pushed for more restrictions on its borders while London's calls for amending the EU treaties have been rebuffed, contributing to the outcome of the Brexit vote. With that in mind, commenting on the Macron-Merkel meeting, a
Guardian article has even
called their statements on reforms "a painful blow to British politicians and diplomats."
Comment: Insightful perspective of the big picture, its extremes and possible outcomes...horrible, horrible, and more horrible. The time to have stopped this was decades ago. Every new territory, state, region, regime that falls within this pattern results in an increasing cascade of death, devastation and rubble. Is this what we want for the future of mankind? Have we passed the point of no return? There will be no salvation, no rebuild, no coming back.