There is no doubt: Greece "will stay in the eurozone". These are the words of José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, who this morning in front of the European Parliament underlined how the debt crisis represents "the greatest challenge in the history of the European Union". In Strasbourg, Barroso also used words of appreciation for the Eurobonds and the Tobin tax. The issuance of bonds on the total debt of the Eurozone "will be considered as a natural and advantageous step for all when we have equipped ourselves with the necessary tools to guarantee economic discipline and integration".
But if the one on community bonds remains a proposal to return to in the future, the introduction of a new one appears much closer financial transaction tax. Barroso has officially announced that the European Commission has adopted a proposal which, if it enters into force in 2014, would guarantee up to 55 billion euros a year. “During the last three years – recalled the President – the member states have granted aid and provided guarantees to the financial sector amounting to 4.600 billion euros. It is time for the financial sector to make its contribution to society”.
Barroso then launched the idea of "a single EU tax on savings", announcing that he will ask the Council for a mandate to negotiate a new tax system on savings that will strengthen the single market. Finally, the president of the European Commission has asked that the EU modify its treaties so as to overcome the unanimity rule, because "the pace cannot be dictated by the slowest".
