VIENNA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has called for a renegotiation of the European Union's Treaty of Lisbon, citing new challenges that have emerged since the foundational treaty entered into effect in 2009.
Speaking to the Austrian media on Friday, the centre-right Austrian People's Party leader said "many things have changed in Europe" compared to 10 years ago, such as the "debt crisis, euro crisis, migrant crisis, climate crisis and Brexit chaos."
He argued that the EU has never managed to transit out of "crisis mode," and is left with an outdated treaty that must be made current.
"A new treaty is needed with clearer sanctions for members who run up debt, penalties for countries who do not register illegal migrants and wave them off, as well as tough consequences for breaches of rule of law and liberal democracy," the chancellor said.
He also called for the bloc's institutions to be streamlined, including a reduction in the size of the European Commission, such as through ending the practice of automatically giving each member state a commissioner post.
In addition, he would like to see a greater emphasis on foreign and security policy.
The chancellor also called for the EU to be based solely in Brussels, rather than having MEPs shuttled back and forth to Strasbourg.
This is unlikely to please French President Emmanuel Macron, with France having always opposed giving up the parliament location in Strasbourg.
Kurz also stressed that far-right populist parties are no allies, saying he wished to "make Europe better, not to disrupt it or entertain exit fantasies."
In addition he called for a "generational change" in the leadership in Brussels, that would involve both a change in personnel as well as a new policy orientation.
This should happen "as soon as possible" following the European parliamentary elections later this month, he said.
