Brussels - Elder statesmen led by Mr Jacques Delors warned in a "wake-up call for Europe" yesterday that the EU was in danger of paralysis and appealed for "democratic federal institutions" to make it more effective.
The former leaders, including Germany's Mr Helmut Kohl made the call in an open letter to the EU leadership. "The real danger for Europe now is that everything may come to a halt," they said, pointing to the strain that eastward enlargement will put on institutions built for six members.
Mr Delors presented the appeal to the Belgian Prime Minister, Mr Guy Verhofstadt, holder of the rotating EU presidency, and the President of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, ahead of an informal summit in Ghent on Friday.