Eurocommissaris Verheugen verwacht een politieke unie binnen 20 jaar (en)

EU industry commissioner Günter Verheugen has predicted that some EU states will in 20 years form a political union.

In in an interview with German daily Die Welt, the commissioner was asked how he sees the EU in 20 years' time.

He responded by saying "I believe we will have a political union, but maybe not with all states that now form part of the EU."

"Certain European states will agree to have common competencies in foreign, economic and financial policy as well as in judicial policy," he explained about his long-term vision.

The remarks point to the possible creation of a "core" Europe of EU states further integrating policies, with other states opting out.

This vision emerged in the 1990s in German conservative political circles, and has since won supporters mainly in France and Belgium, with the Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt recently suggesting closer co-operation between the eurozone states.

The commissioner also appeared to predict predicted a further enlarged EU encompassing the western Balkans, Turkey, Switzerland and Norway - but excluding states like Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Russia.

"In 20 years all European states will be members of the EU, except the post-Soviet states that do not yet form part of the EU now," he said.

Mr Verheugen served as the EU's enlargement commissioner in the previous Prodi commission from 1999-2004, succesfully managing the bloc's 2004 expansion while championing further enlargement, including with Turkey.