Nella riunione svoltasi a Strasburgo il 9 settembre, il Gruppo Spinelli ha adottato una decisa presa di posizione a favore del consolidamento dell'unione nell'ambito dell'eurozona, in cui si afferma:
"Greater clarity is required on the key elements of the economic, fiscal and political union ... A fiscal and economic union cannot remain only a set of rules for national economies but should move towards a system of further sovereignty sharing within common and strong institutions.
Key political decisions on national fiscal policies should become a common concern and be made jointly. The Report [of the 5 Presidents] rightly insists on bridging the divergences between the various economies of the Member States, based on current rules and recommendations on structural reforms. However, the Eurozone should have a role to support such an effort and should have tools and resources for an active European economic policy for the interest of the euro area as a whole. In this respect, a Eurozone budget, with own resources sufficient to have an impact on the Eurozone economy, should be a priority for example.
The democratic legitimacy of the Eurozone decisions needs to increase in parallel to any advance in further integration. As the recent negotiations with Greece well illustrated, the current governance of the euro pits national democracies against each other. Instead what is needed is a strong European legitimacy for Eurozone decisions. A more independent role for the European Commission, as government of the Eurozone, and greater involvement of the European Parliament would enable decisions to be taken at the appropriate level and improve both efficiency and accountability.
To implement the envisaged longer term goals, treaty change or the conclusion of an additional Treaty for the Eurozone will be required. Member States should take this debate as an opportunity and not as a concern. The European Parliament should stand ready to make its proposals to prepare such debate and defend the case in front of the European citizens.
The stakes are too high not to act immediately".
