Gabriel against schaubles eu plan – support for macron

Aubenminister sigmar gabriel (SPD) has criticized the european policy plans of finance minister wolfgang schauble (CDU) and backed the reform concept of french president emmanuel macron.

Schauble's proposals on economic and monetary union show "in an impressive way" how little willingness there is in the finance ministry to invest in the idea of european unification as a whole, it says in a draft policy paper by the foreign office under the title "europe needs visions instead of technocracy". First the ARD capital studio had reported about it on wednesday.

"The path of bureaucratic over-control and the lack of democratic legitimacy of political decisions, which is already problematic in europe, is to be continued and even accelerated," gabriel's paper states. The proposals run the risk of being perceived as typically german and as support for the financial technocracies.

"If this was the farewell gift of the outgoing finance minister, then one could overlook it. Presumably it is however an announcement for the coming legislative period, because at least CDU and FDP were allowed to agree fast in these questions."

Schauble had proposed expanding the existing ESM bailout fund into a european rescue fund with wide-ranging powers, but rejected macron's plans for a comprehensive budget and a finance minister for the eurozone.

Schauble's course has contributed to germany's political isolation in recent years and the unwillingness of many other EU member states to help germany deal with the refugee crisis. Germany risks the further erosion of the european union and the withdrawal of further states from european cooperation"."

The EU needs more financial resources and instruments for investment, the gabriel paper continues. If you want to tackle bold structural reforms, as france is currently doing, "you have to be given more time to reduce budget deficits," he says. The creation of a eurozone budget is therefore an urgent necessity. Europe also needs more fairness in taxation and more social security.