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19 Feb, 2014 12:37

'United States of Europe'? Brussels should check with EU citizens first

The EU is to blame for many problems in European countries, and many people have no choice but to turn to the far-right parties and reject the over-bureaucratic and undemocratic EU, Danish member of the European Parliament, Morten Messerschmidt, told RT.

RT:What do you make of this 'United States of Europe' idea?

Morten Messerschmidt: Well, on the one hand, I think it’s nice that Viviane Reding, who is one of the commissioners, has spoken openly [about] her desires and dreams. So many other commissioners or officials will never admit that their goal is to form the Federal European Union. On the other hand, I’m quite sure that the citizens of Europe don’t want to have this federal state that Viviane Reding is speaking about. Obviously, she therefore reveals the ideology of Brussels which is in contradiction with the people of Europe. That’s why we need to have more referendums and to check whether the people of Europe actually want to give up all their sovereignty - fiscal policies, migration policies and so on - to an unelected body in Brussels that Viviane Reding represents.

RT:There's concern over rising poverty and unemployment in the European bloc. How can this be tackled in the possible States of Europe?

Morten Messerschmidt (Reuters / Dieter Nagl)

MM: There are so many issues and crises in the EU countries right at the moment and many of them have actually been created by the EU. For instance, forming the eurozone, trying to merge together very different economies in the south and the north, that obviously is the main reason why the eurozone is still the only major economy in the world that is still in recession. When it comes to the free movement not only of workers, but of citizens around the EU, that has obviously led to many problems. For example in Denmark, with beggars and criminals and other people coming transnationally from the Eastern European countries, without any possibility for our police forces to protect our country, not even after they have been expelled we can be sure they won’t come back, because due to Brussels regulation we are prohibited from having border control. So many of these problems have actually come due to the EU regulation.

RT:The EU has already suspended talks with Switzerland over EU research and education programs because of the recent anti-immigration vote there. Do you think the Swiss really care about that?

MM: I think that the Swiss care about their future, and they care about the problems that the open borders and the free movement have created much more than they care whether some program on education and science have been put on ice by Brussels. I’m quite sure that actually the EU officials will soon admit that they have just as much at stake as the Swiss here. For instance, the EU has invested many billions of euros in the CERN, in the particle accelerator in Switzerland. So I think it’s very stupid and juvenile reaction to a very rational approach by the majority of the Swiss voters simply saying that the entire free movement, the lack of border control has created catastrophe, has created chaos where we have no control of who is coming in and out of our countries, when we have no possibilities of checking whether the rules of labor markets, of payments and stuff like that are being [observed]. And I think the EU should rather be engaged in the debate about the problems they have created than be closing their eyes to the reality.

RT:Meanwhile far-right parties and nationalists are gaining strength and they are hailing the Swiss vote. Do you think such sentiments will only get worse?

MM: I fear what will happen here in May at the European parliament elections around some European countries where we have seen movements and sentiments, parties that we've thought would belong only to the past. In Greece now we have a new fascist party, we see Le Front National in France is to get around 20-25 percent of the votes. These are certainty parties that I never expected nor hoped would once again get support in Europe. We have to understand that when these parties come, it’s not because the Europeans are turning to the extreme right out of their free will. It's because many of the problems that form our everyday life - with criminal migrants, with recession of the economy - have been built and created by the EU, and this is therefore the only rational approach for many people to reject the over-controlled, over-bureaucratic and undemocratic EU. There is no way for them to go because old parties remain very loyal to the EU, they would never speak against Brussels, and therefore, the voters are actually almost forced to join or support extreme parties.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

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