The European vision in practice
The European Union is looking for a way forward. It needs a vision that will inspire its people, that will give them hope and self-confidence during this difficult time in the world. The problems are well known, chiefly the need to increase productivity and secure the income that is needed to provide benefits to a population that is aging quickly and becoming a huge burden on public coffers. At the political level, the main problems stem from the alienation of many European citizens from the idea, the mechanisms and the decisions of the European Union. The rejection of the European Constitution by French and Dutch voters is the most prominent symptom of this malaise. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, has been working toward a compromise that will allow the EU to move ahead with its political union while not ignoring the will of those French and Dutch citizens who rejected the constitution. Without a constitution, the EU cannot achieve more dynamic leadership nor a more coherent foreign policy. Although the population of the European Union is greater than that of the United States (close to 500 million compared to 300 million), and its economy is larger (with a nominal GDP of about $15 trillion compared to $13.2 trillion in the United States), the European Union lives in the shadow of the United States and it lives in fear of the rising powers of China and India. Today, with a resurgent Russia exerting its influence in the energy sector on which the EU is so dependent, and the Americans pushing for an anti-missile system to be set up across Europe, the Europeans will have to formulate a single, dynamic foreign policy or face the risk of allowing wedges to enter among the member states and so destroy the dream of ever closer union. Furthermore, the premature (and therefore ill-considered) recent expansion of the EU exacerbated a sense of insecurity over the future of the Union. There is an overriding sense that the club has grown so large that its members are afraid that they will lose the benefits of membership. This is a period of introspection. All this is to be expected when an organization establishes itself and gets past its youthful vigor. A 50th anniversary is a great opportunity to take stock of where things are heading. But there is always the danger that too much contemplation may lead to a state of constant misery and complaint, that too much thought about the need for new myths and visions might blind us to the achievements of the present. It is all very well to seek our way forward, but only when we know where we stand. And sometimes, in the current debate on the EU, there seems to be too little consideration of where we are as opposed to where we think we ought to be. This is a time to note that the European Union is the most significant experiment in which human beings are trying to find ways to live peacefully with their neighbors – whether those neighbors be the people next door, another country, or a nation at the other end of the earth. The European Union is the first collective effort of free people to join forces, to expand and grow richer without invading other countries (on the contrary, other countries are queuing up to become members), without looting the riches of others (as the colonial powers did), without exploiting slaves. A continent that was the scene of endless bloodbaths has now enjoyed more than half a century of peace. Inside the Union, the children of the Enlightenment have abolished the death penalty and base their behavior on the principle of equality but also on the right of everyone to be different. The European Union promotes this respect for those who are different all over the world. Of course, not all problems have been solved, especially those concerning high unemployment and the need to secure a satisfactory living standard for all members of our rapidly changing societies. But it is certain that if there is to be a solution that will guarantee human dignity in conjunction with economic development and protection of the environment, this will be sought first in the European Union. And it may be found here. As for us Greeks – whatever our insecurities before we jumped into the great sea that is unified Europe – we have never had a greater opportunity to leap beyond the narrow confines of our country without becoming foreigners in a foreign land. Whatever complaints we may have concerning the European Union as it celebrates its 50th anniversary, it is our home. And it is great.
