In a speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday, European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso called for the EU to be transformed into a “federation of nation states” with member states surrendering more sovereignty in favor of full integration.

Mr Barroso said the EU would always be less than the sum of its parts unless it integrated fully.

“Let’s not be afraid of the words: We will need to move towards a federation of nation states. This is our political horizon,” the EC head said, calling for “a democratic federation of nation states that can tackle our common problems, through the sharing of sovereignty in a way that each country and its citizens are better equipped to control their own destiny.”

Mr Barroso added that in these “turbulent times,” Europe “should not leave the defense of its nations just to the nationalists and populists.”

Mr Barroso also said his proposal would require changes to the EU’s treaty and called for “broad debate” across Europe in the meantime. He acknowledged that there would be opposition to his idea.

“Many will say that this is too ambitious, that it is not realistic,” he said. “But let me ask you this – is it realistic to go on like we have been doing?”

RA