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The report, issued on Monday by the Future of Europe Group at a meeting in Warsaw, outlines far-reaching proposals for a Europe weighed down by debt, mired in an economic slowdown and struggling to save its single currency.
Germany has argued consistently for a more federal Europe, a point of tension with its closest partner, France, which tends to be more protective of sovereignty and preoccupied with shorter-term measures to stabilise the euro.
Highlighting the difficulties confronting the European Union, the document notes: “In many parts of Europe, nationalism and populism are on the rise, while the feeling of solidarity and sense of belonging in Europe are dwindling".
Critics believe that some countries may have participated simply to monitor what others were saying. But the report, signed by Austria, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium and Luxembourg, reflects the rising temperature of the debate over the future of Europe.