f.EU Commission President+Luxemburg Prime Minister Santer to EuroFora:Political Union due since €uro

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- The current need for the EU to advance towards a Political Union had been already foreseen and even scheduled by those who created €uro Currency, as an inevitable consequence of that, revealed explicitly to "EuroFora" the experienced, mainstream MEP, former EU Commission's President, and former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jacques Santer, who had personally contributed actively to the introduction of the €uro, together several other Top EU Political Leaders until 1999.

- "EuroFora" asked Santer, if, according to his Historic Experience and active role at the Top of the EU Collective Leadership when the €uro had been planned, prepared and introduced, during the 1990ies (Comp. the currentlly debated

-"Certainly! Certainly !", immediately reacted Jacques Santer to "EuroFora"s question positively. - "If you read anew the Speaches which had been pronounced then, including that of (Historic German Chancellor) Helmut Kohl, it's obviuous that the Political Union was also one of the Conditions for a (Real)Economic and Monetary Union. And (former Loong-time EU Commission's President -Jacques- Delors always spoke of <<Economic Government>", he observed from the outset.

- "So that we had 2 Elements : 1st the Monetary Union, which should already start to work, and, 2nd the Economic Union, which was a kind of "second Lung" for the EU, "but wasn't yet ready", President Santer further explained.

=> "And the Monetary Union would render Necessary to build also an EconoomicUnion?", "EuroFora" went on to ask.

- "Precisely, we thought, at that moment, that the Monetary Union was going to provoke, let's say, a larger Economic Convergence inside the EU, so that, indeed, a Monetary and Economic Union would become able to function with both its lungs taken together", the Experienced former EU Commission's President acknowledged.

- "But, obviously, I must say, that the (Global) Crisis which has started from the USA, hadn't been foreseen, and it has shaken up (upset) all data",  Santer observed, "while, until then, the EMU (even if incomplete), it was functioning properly, wasn't it ?", he also noted.

- "However, if the EU Constitution's Draft (Treaty) had been adopted, (instead of being rejected by 3 EuroReferenda in France, the Netherlands and Ireland, back on 2005-2007, notoriously because of Turkey's  controversial and unpopular EU bid),  then, we (EU) would have got a 5 Years Advance on what EU is trying to do now (on 2012) for an Institutional deepening of EU's Political Union, (through a Stronger Economic Governance, etc). Therefore, in that case, EU might have been better prepared to face the USA-generated Global Crisis of 2008-2009, wouldnt' it ?",  "EuroFora" reacted to his latest point.

- "Oh, Yes !", agreed, prolonging a spontaneous laugh with an extended smile, the experienced former EU Commission's President during a crucial era, and f. Prime Minister of Luxebourg,  Jacques Santer, (who had recently lectured on EU History at a landmark Summit of ChristianDemocrats/EPP Heads of State/Governments at the Royal Academy in Brussels), and current President of the Foundation of European merit, and, significantly, President of "Europe Group", inside the Union of European Federalists.

+ In this regard, as far as Catching up with Time on EU Political Union is concerned, Santer, commenting on the Results of the latest EU Brussels' Summit, he soberly told "EuroFora", that,  "at least, it generated some Directions (Horizons). (But) now, all depends on how this will be prepared in order to function" in real practice, he rightfully observed, apparently pointing at the forthcoming ECOFIN (from July 10-11 onwards) and EU Summits' meetings of October and December 2012   to "at least" start completing now the earlier scheduled but unaccomplished yet, crucial task...