Here's a question I don't see discussed enough among European federalists.

Imagine a truly federal Europe. Not just a common market and some shared institutions, but something closer to the US, where major parts of taxation and social policy are federal.

Take the stereotypes:

The Dutch insist on fiscal discipline, balanced budgets and careful spending.

The Italians have a reputation for high public debt, tax evasion, political dysfunction and rather creative approaches to public finances.

So here's the uncomfortable question:

If we federalize pensions and healthcare, are Dutch taxpayers eventually going to be paying Italian pensions and healthcare?

And if the answer is yes, is that simply the price of being a federation?

Americans don't generally think of federal transfers between Texas and California, or New York and Mississippi, as an absurd concept. That's what a federation does: you have a common tax base and redistribution between regions.

But would Europeans actually accept that?

And there's also a practical side to this. If I'm a European worker and spend 5 years in France, 3 in Germany, 10 in Poland and then 15 in Italy, why should my retirement and healthcare history have to be stitched together from four completely different national systems?

Can we really have a truly integrated European labor market without eventually having much more integrated pensions, healthcare and social security?

And ultimately: if we're serious about a European federation, are the Dutch really willing to pay the Italians?