Schroeder backs call for European government

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder has endorsed the creation of a European government as part of sweeping reform proposals for the EU, his party said today.

The ideas, set out in a draft policy document for a meeting of the governing Social Democratic Party, signalled a bid by Schroeder to influence the European policy debate in Germany before seeking re-election next year.

A party spokeswoman confirmed a report in Der Spiegel magazine that the draft suggests turning the EU’s executive Commission into a European government and giving the European Parliament full power over the 15-nation group’s budget, nearly half of which goes for farm subsidies.

The document also calls for the creation of a second chamber of the European parliament that would bring together national government ministers.

At the same time, Schroeder said some decision-making powers for example, on EU aid for infrastructure projects should be shifted back from the EU bureaucracy to national and regional levels.

Schroeder has previously left major European policy initiatives to Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, who last year called for a ‘‘United States of Europe’’ with a constitution and strong central government.

Among the major EU countries, that vision is shared by Italy.

Germany’s conservative opposition welcomed Schroeder’s proposals, especially the call for removing budgetary powers from the unelected commission and government ministers.

Wolfgang Schaeuble, former leader of the main opposition Christian Democrats, said his party had advocated such ideas for years.

‘‘But the important question is how we mark the limits of power between the European level and the national states,’’ Schaeuble was quoted as telling the Tagesspiegel newspaper.

The draft proposals will be approved by the Social Democrats’ national executive May 7 and put to a November convention after further discussion inside the party, said the party spokeswoman, Grit Auerswald.