Guy Verhofstadt, one of the key faces of the EU’s Brexit deal team, argued the case for the ever closer union dreaded by the leave camp in the UK, and slammed the idea of local ‘identity’ as simply a “buzzword” used by nationalists.
Speaking at Portfolio Adviser’s biannual Congress on Friday, Verhofstadt insisted there was widespread support for closer cooperation among European states despite the UK’s decision to leave.
“The European Union as it exists today cannot work in the future. The answer is not to leave it but to reform it,” he said.
“Public opinion has been shocked by this decision to leave. People are still as critical of the European Union as they were but they are shown a way of reform rather than destruction.”
However, Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister, said a federal European state would need a smaller, more compact government unlike the current European Commission which he said “reminds me more of the Soviet Union”.
European-wide policies guided by a centralised government on the likes on migration, crime and defence, with the creation of a European army, would ensure the EU’s longevity, he added.
Pointing to Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the French presidential race on a pro-Europe ticket, Verhofstadt said it was proof of the growing support for more solutions at a European level.
“Until now most national leaders have not had the guts or the courage to come out in support of Europe. It’s easier to blame the EU when anything goes wrong.”
He added: “Federalism is a step forward for democracy and humanity.
“The future of mankind is not in single states like we have created in the twentieth century with all the atrocities.
The US, Canada and Germany, all federal nations, have shown how successful a system it is, he added.
He said: “Where we can add value we must do it at a trans-national basis.”
