Not a word about the ECB.
The ECB limits the freedom of the individual countries. France , Germany and Italy are going to have to pay fines for a deficit exceeding 3% .

The Germans want a federal Europe, the French a transnational Europe.

It depends on the areas; Belgium is going to federalism (quite the contrary to centralism).

Giscard d'Estaing is proposing a EU where members are free to leave the Union.

The EU is perfectly aware of the limits, the problems and ideas are welcome.

BTW, why are the Eastern Europeans so eager to enter the EU, if the article were true?

What they know is what the EEC did to countries like Spain, Ireland, Portugal, Greece...
None complain.

And there's indeed a big issue, now: what to do about the pensions, in several years when there won't be enough people working to pay for those who have retired.
I'm all in favor of extending proportionnally the number of working years.

Raoul