Join the United States of Europe or leave the EU, says Martin Schulz If the leader of second biggest party in Germany gets his way, EU member states will have to join the […]

If the leader of second biggest party in Germany gets his way, EU member states will have to join the United States of Europe – or face being kicked out of the union automatically.

Martin Schulz, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, told his party conference that he wants the continental bloc to move in the direction of a US-style federal union.

“I want a European constitutional treaty that creates a federal Europe,” he said in his speech. Schulz was the President of the European Parliament from 2011 until January 2017, when he returned to domestic politics.

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Pointing to Poland, whose right-wing government has risked censure from Brussels over human rights issues, and Hungary, which is becoming increasingly isolated, Schulz said that the draft constitution would be presented as an ultimatum.

Simply leave

“Those who are against it will simply leave the EU,” he said.

Afterwards on Twitter, he doubled down in English, saying: “I want a new constitutional treaty to establish the United States of Europe. A Europe that is no threat to its member states, but a beneficial addition.”

The claim has already caused alarm among Brexiteers who have long suspected a federal state to be the desired end goal of many on the continent itself.

“If this is the route they are taking, it could be a very small European Union,” said Nigel Farage, who added: “Thank God we are leaving.”

Just and innovative Europe

Schulz’s SPD came second in the German election in September to Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU bloc. No government has yet been formed, and Schulz does not have the power at present to move his proposal towards reality.

In fact, it is not clear that Schulz would have sufficient support from other European nations to proceed in that direction even if he became Chancellor.

The Social Democrat said that any move towards a federal Europe would require a change to the union’s economic policy as promoted by Merkel and her staff.

“The SPD is needed for a just and innovative Europe,” he said. “Our country cannot afford another four years of European policy à la [former conservative Finance Minister] Wolfgang Schäuble.”