EU needs reform to bring back trust: Dutch foreign minister

Halving the size of the European parliament and putting MEPs in better contact with Europe’s citizens is key to building trust in the EU, Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders said in Friday’s AD.

By reducing the current total of 766 MEPs by half – because some MEPs complain they don’t have enought to do – the parliament could focus on the ‘direct concerns’ of Europeans and stop being a ‘debating society’, he said.

He also called for an end to the shuffle between Brussels and Strasbourg which costs some €200m a year, describing it as a ‘total waste of money’.

Koenders was responding to calls by new US president Donald Trump who last week seemed to call for the break up of the European Union, describing it a ‘vehicle for Germany’ and praising Britain’s decision to pull out.

Reform

‘That is precisely the wrong message,’ Koenders said. ‘But this is a historic opportunity to reform Europe into a more compact and better entity. It would be very stupid to throw the baby out with the bathwater.’

The European alliance is more important than ever, Koenders said, adding that the EU in 2017 is a ‘safe haven’ in an unsettled world.

‘Europe is made up of strong countries rooted in democracy. The member states must be put back in the spotlight. And member states should also be made responsible for dealing with acute problems. Then we will be able to recognise ourselves as citizens of such a Europe.’

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