Günther Oettinger, the energy commissioner at the E.U. Commission (the E.U.’s executive branch), said at a news conference on September 7, 2011 that the E.U. needs to look “beyond its borders to ensure the security of energy supplies.”[1] Having the states “act together and speak with one voice” through their federal government is the rationale for ever closer union.[2] To be sure, ever closer union has its limits; the hominization of Europe via political consolidation would ignore the innate diversity that exists within any empire-level union of states, whether the E.U., A.U. or U.S. Even so, fear of consolidation need not hamper Europe from being able to benefit from united action.
The full essay is at "Essays on the E.U. Political Economy," available at Amazon.
1. James Kanter, “Brussels Seeks More Control Over
Energy Deals,” The New York Times, September 8, 2011.
2. Ibid.
