If they are going to boast that the EU has a larger economy, population, and military than the United States, then they should have only one seat in the UN, make unified military decisions, and protect themselves.
And NAFTA has a larger economy, and almost the population, of the EU.
NAFTA or the North American Union? /s
Perhaps, but Royal will be the next President of the Republic.
Europe will never be one country. It is a confederation of sovereign states with one economic and trade policy, and a broad universal set of human rights. That is what Europeans want. Sacrificing the national identity is not what Europeans want, which is why the national veto is so dear.
Bragging rights are uninteresting. What is interesting is trade and economic surpluses in order to build things.
Europe will have one seat at trade talks. This is important, because it prevents the divide-and-conquer approach to trade America has used in the past. The world's largest unified economy (Europe; NAFTA is not a unified economy - there is no free flow of labor, and there is no free flow of goods, and there are tarriffs and restrictions across the US/Canada and US/Mexico border) speaks with one voice on trade. But the Member States will, of course, retain their separate seats at the United Nations and in other diplomatic bodies, where the multiplicity of seats increases European power and prestige.
What is needed is an entity that works to protect europe from brain drain and theft of intellectual property. We need to be a buyers community for commodities and a regulative against the export of to much labour force.
We are so "over militarized" we even have to care about other countries problems e.g. in lebanon, afghanistan and several countries of africa.
Mrs. rice once said that america is not interested in ceding to be the only military superpower. Granted I'd say.