Det, det drejer sig om, og som burde tages under seriøs behandling ved Det Europæiske Råd i Köln, er visse medlemsstaters politisk ansvarliges tilbøjelighed til alt for længe at have knyttet sig til fuldstændig forældede levn af national selvbestemmelsesret, især for så vidt angår udenrigspolitikken.
What is at issue, and what should be looked at seriously by the Cologne Council, is the fact that the political leaders of certain Member States have, for far too long now, tended to hang on to the outdated remains of their national sovereignty, particularly in terms of foreign policy.