We keep running circles around the elephant in the room, which is that the EU needs to fund accumulation of productive capital in the periphery in ways that imply net fiscal transfer from the core, or "surplus recycling", or "repatriation of surplus".

You can give a man a fishing pole, but unless you teach him how to fish..... ?

BTW, isn't what you are suggesting basically an enhanced version of structural and cohesion funds?

The problem that I see is that there is an underlying issue of ability to compete that is going to require either massive emigration from the periphery, or the development of a domestic ability to compete in those countries.  The dilemma is not entirely unlike what happened as the US market was integrated in the 20th century.  The South couldn't compete, so there was massive emigration to the North. Finally, the development of a strong federal government allowed the redistribution of wealth from the North to the South.

But that sort of redistribution required a strong federal government, which the EU does not currently have.........

Let's be honest, the development of that sort of capacity in Europe was basically mean the end of the sovereignty of the nation-state in Europe.

Do we really believe that the Czechs and other euroskeptics will allow that?  

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg