Sigmar Gabriel wants EU superstate to be major player in global affairs

Sigmar Gabriel said it was time Europe found its “own voice” instead of letting the US dictate global affairs while the continent argues amongst itself. 

He said Europe as a whole, and not just Germany, had a shared interest with Russia in nuclear disarnment and non-proliferation. 

And he claimed Germany was ready to support Russia, China and the US in finding a solution to the ongoing crisis in the Korea peninsula. 

Speaking to Russia Today, Mr Gabriel said: “We have partners and allies, the Americans amongst them – but we are a continent that must also ensure that we are not a mere appendix of international politics.

“In the past, we have often said that global politics are what the Americans do. If something goes wrong, we will complain. 

“But I think we need to find our own voice.”

But he said the idea of a European Army was “not realistic” at this moment in time. 

Mr Gabriel said: “I think that at this point it is not a very realistic idea. But we waste money trying to achieve the same goals without cooperation. That doesn’t make sense – cooperation would make sense.”

He cited Russia’s annexing of Crimea and the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine as areas where Europe, as a global power, could help ease tensions through dialogue. 

Mr Gabriel said: “I am quite convinced that we need a new détente with Russia, even though because of the Crimea and Ukraine we have a difficult conflict. 

“We are not going to solve many problems across the world without working together with Russia.

“We might disagree on the particulars of the mission. But it would be insane not to sit at the negotiating table to discuss the idea and its implementation.”

Mr Gabriel praised Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent support for UN peace keepers in rebel-held territories on the Ukrain Russian border.

He said if the mission resulted in a truce, then discussions on lifting Russian sanctions should begin. 

In his controversial State of the Union address last week, European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker pledged to strengthen European industry and invited commissioners to present their initiatives to the public.

Mr Juncker promised to propose technical and financial help for the willing to jin the eurozone, quickly triggering concern from influential German members of the European Parliament, like the deputy chairman of the economic committee Markus Ferber.

The European Commission President also said he wanted all member states to join in a European defence union and hinted that more decisions would be taken by qualified majority votes, including on sensitive areas such as tax.