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Merkel calls for political union to tackle EU crisis

07 June 2012 23:13 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The establishment of a "political union" is much needed as EU leaders prepare for a closely watched summit later this month, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"I don’t think that there is a single summit at which the big design will take shape. But what we have been doing for some time and on which a working plan will certainly be presented in June is to say we need more Europe," Merkel said in an interview with German public TV station ARD.

"We need not just a currency union. We also need a so-called fiscal union. And we need above all a political union, which means we need to, step by step, cede powers to Europe and give Europe control," she said.

Merkel, who has been under criticism for stubbornly pushing through the austerity drive in dealing with the Europe’s financial woes, reiterated that she is interested in growth, but "budget consolidation and growth are two sides of one and the same coin."

"Without solid finances, there is no growth. But solid finances alone are not enough; there are other points - above all, questions of competitiveness," she said.

The EU summit later this month should give a clear commitment for "more Europe" and will be decisive on a timetable for further reform, Merkel said.