The First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans has given a major hint that a central aspect of the European Union — "ever closer union" first set out in the Treaty of Rome in 1957 — is open to negotiation by all members.
For the #EU to be strong it needs all our Institutions to set Europe's agenda together @Europarl_EN @EUCouncil @EU_Commission
— Frans Timmermans (@TimmermansEU) October 27, 2015
It comes as UK Prime Minister David Cameron is finalizing his wish list for reforms of the EU and the UK's membership, ahead of an In/Out referendum which could see Britain leave the EU.
He is Wednesday visiting Iceland for a meeting with North European leaders where he will deny the UK could take the 'Norwegian option' and live outside the EU.
He is due to tell Euroskeptics that — despite being outside the EU — Norway is still subject to a lot of Brussels bureaucracy.
In the preamble to the Treaty of Rome, which created the EEC, and became the EU, the signatories declared themselves: "determined to lay the foundations of an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe."
However, Cameron — who is fighting for a renegotiation of the UK's membership in an effort to keep Britain inside the EU — told his party's annual conference this year: "Britain is not interested in 'ever closer union' and I will put that right."
'No Strong Views'
Timmermans said the European Commission has no "strong views" on ever closer union.
He told BBC's Today radio program:
"A number of the member states have very strong views. If you look at Germany, they feel very strongly about this — not because they want Europe to create more government at European level — but because they say 'because we are part of the EU, the peoples of Europe come closer together and will no longer feel inclined to go to war with each other' so it's got a deeper philosophical meaning in Germany than just about creating ever more government at the European level."
Asked whether the European Commission officially drops the principle of 'ever closer union', Timmermans said:
"…there is nobody who will tell you that you are forced into integration with other European countries. Fair enough, if you want that.
His comments will be read as a first sign that the Commission is open to Britain — and any other member states — are open to wiggle-room of European integration, which will be succour to Cameron's attempts at negotiating a new relationship with his European neighbours.
