Addressing European lawmakers in Strasbourg, France, in his annual “state of the Union” speech, Juncker urged member states to stop bickering among themselves and “focus on the areas in which Europe can give true added value”. As well as an increased military role, Juncker also said the European Union will have to step up its diplomatic presence, suggesting the bloc should have a single foreign minister.
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When Britain was a member it was against such a move, preferring to put a reliance on North Atlantic Treaty Organisation forces.
“We must have a European HQ and. work towards a common military force”, said Juncker – referring to plans that have long faced British hostility and which will come up at Friday’s summit.
It’s not just Brexit that’s threatening unity.
“This would effectively turn the internet into a place where everything uploaded to the web must be cleared by lawyers before it can find an audience”, Google’s Atkinson said. “It was the usual recipe, more Europe – and in this particular case, more military Europe”.
The head of the European Union executive urged Britain to trigger its formal divorce as quickly as possible for the benefit of both sides.
Brussels says the fund could also serve to bolster internet connectivity across the bloc. “When you roam, it should be like at home”, Juncker said.
“New online services such as music streaming, video-on-demand platforms and news aggregators have become very popular, while consumers increasingly expect to access cultural content on the move and across borders”, the European Union said.
Juncker’s speech comes two days before the 27 European Union leaders meet for a summit without Britain in Bratislava aiming to draw up a future roadmap after Britain’s decision to quit the EU. “Financing for the installation of local wireless access points should be available quickly, after adoption of the scheme by the European Parliament and member states”.
Claiming success in fostering investment by the application of seed capital and guarantees from the EU and national governments, the commission has put the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSI) at the heart of its economic policy. The move of having the next leaders’ meeting outside Brussels could be an indication of wanting more involvement from member countries.
The olive branch came a day after Donald Tusk, the European Council president, warned Poland against “rocking the European boat” over demands for treaty change to reverse the EU superstate and return power to European capitals. “As of the next week you’ll see a new improved draft on roaming”.
In addition the Commission wants all European households, rural or urban, to have access to connectivity offering a download speed of at least 100Mbps, which can be upgraded to 1Gbps.
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Mr Juncker’s critics accused him of recycling old ideas in his speech and failing to learn the lesson of Brexit – which conservatives and Eurosceptics said was that the people of Europe wanted less Europe, not more. He said Europeans have been fed with a steady diet of “politically correct statements that Europe can not become a fortress, that it must remain open”.
