In what Britain’s Guardian newspaper has called a “sometimes deeply personal speech”, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has not only given confirmed Brexiteers’ new reason for joy, he has also rewritten the map.
Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg about strengthening the union on defence, asylum and foreign policy, he glorified in the fact that Europe” now extends from Vigo to Varna, from Spain to Bulgaria”… but he left Bloco de Esquerda MEP Marisa Matias feeling confused.
“Europe goes from Spain to Bulgaria. Juncker on the state of the Union. Does he assume we’re out?” She tweeted.
It’s a giggle that swept through the media in some form or other, while the true implications of Juncker’s speech have been largely ignored in Portugal.
Not so in UK, where stalwarts of the leave campaign are concluding “we’re getting out in the nick of time”.
Greatest cause for concern is that the new wind that will see foreign policy decisions carried by majority (rather than unanimity), countries under strong pressure to sign up to the euro and ‘one captain steering the ship’.
But in Portugal, the ‘tongue in cheek’ dilemma today is ‘are we in, or are we out’?
