Parliament would gain increased powers under the proposals

Instead of sharing decision-making power over the budget with the Council of Ministers, as it does at present, the parliament would take full control over it, including the vast sums spent on agriculture subsidies.

The current Council of Ministers - a kind of cabinet of cabinets made up of government ministers from the member states - would be transformed into an upper house of parliament like Germany's upper chamber, the Bundesrat.

There representatives protect the powers and interests of Germany's regional governments but give way to the federal government in other matters, like foreign affairs and general economic policy.

Balances

The paper also calls for the EU to play a more prominent role on the world stage:

"[The SPD advocates] strengthening... the EU's ability to take action in the areas of foreign policy, inner security and immigration, because individual member states are decreasingly capable of effectively promoting their interests on the international stage."

This may seem to add up to a Euro-government, but the four other priorities put forward by the SPD provide balances, pulling power away from the central EU institutions.

They call for measures to:

• "Delineate... the political responsibilities of the European level and of the member states respectively. The right to grant new competencies to the EU must remain with the member states."

• "Take precautions against a creeping transfer of competencies to the European level."

• "Return to the national level of jurisdiction those tasks that can more suitably be performed by the member states... in order to expand the leeway for independent regional and structural policy by the member states."

• "Ensure that the member states retain the flexibility and structural competence to provide for public and social security."