>It is a project conceived by US planners... Any proof of that? From a US perspective, I can't see how a unified Europe would benefit the US - neither economic

>It is a project conceived by US planners... Any proof of that? From a US perspective, I can't see how a unified Europe would benefit the US - neither economically nor militarily. The EU is the only state (besides China with 4x the population of the US) that can compare to the US economy. Dealing with smaller countries gives the US an advantage compared with similar deals with the EU itself. A unified EU military would be the only state both large enough and advanced enough to pose a valid military challenge to US hegemony.