European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday issued a rallying cry for unity after Brexit, saying the EU is not in danger of splitting up but must fight back against “galloping populism”.
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The EU leader stressed that the bloc’s actions should take place in concert with the US -led North Atlantic Treaty Organisation defense alliance, to which 22 EU member states also belong. The EC proposed a minimum 90 days a year of “roam like home”, but some members of the European Parliament have said this is not enough to realise the original promise of free roaming. The group said the new rules would mean filtering all uploads to the Internet in Europe. “And we have to invest in that connectivity now”, said Juncker, who has been president of the Commission since 2014.
After the British people voted to leave the EU in June, leaders have been struggling to maintain unity between several eastern states that have voiced support for less bureaucracy coming from the Union and others that seek a stronger centralized power. “More competition and further integration of the European market will allow us to reach these goals, helped by the right environment created by the new Communications Code”.
Juncker also suggested making European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini a fully-fledged foreign minister for the bloc and giving her a seat at the negotiating table in the Syrian conflict.
Without one, the European Union will end up wasting money on missions, he said. “As for the initiative announced by Juncker, it is an attempt to reinforce federalist Europe, and nowadays people in Europe don’t want it, so it is not a welcome initiative”, he said.
Analysts believe Brexit could reduce the EU’s military capacity by a quarter as Europe’s biggest spending power departs the bloc, unless action is taken to change current defence arrangements.
“Together we have to make sure that we protect our interests”, Juncker told the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France.
Vodafone and the European Competitive Telecommunications Association (ECTA) were both quick off the mark in responding to Juncker’s speech. “They want results. The next 12 months are decisive if we want to realize our union”.
– Investment – ============== Juncker proposed doubling his flagship investment fund to 630 billion euros ($707 billion) by 2022 in a bid to boost the economy.
There are fears the European Union is facing paralysis until Britain decides to move. The lack of cooperation in defence matters costs Europe between €25 billion and €100 billion per year, depending on the areas concerned.
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Andrus Ansip, Commission vice-president for the digital single market, welcomed the move.
