The European Commission should be granted the authority to force member states to address their economic problems. It should have the authority to impose fines on or cut EU subsidies to countries that fail to tackle high unemployment.

Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen made these remarks in a letter he wrote to national daily de Volkskrant. “It’s not just about healthy budgets; healthy economies are of even greater importance.”

He points out that major economic problems in one country can skip borders to infect other member states. The minister argues that it is clear individual member states are unable to assess whether they are doing enough to keep their economies healthy, which is why the Commission should play a strict and independent role.

“If countries fail to revitalise their economies, we should be able to force them to do so.” Mr Verhagen says it should be up to the individual member states to decide what measures they want to take to eliminate economic risks.

(gsh/rk/imm)

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