A Union for a Project.
Hello BBCNews,
As a loyal reader of your website and a pro European Union citizen, I would like to participate in the panel of readers you are organising. Unlike many UK-readers, who criticize the Union being a bureaucracy-choked morass, holding back economic growth, I tend to see the benefits and need of a Union that is more then a free-trade-organisation. Being critical about this supranational organisation in crisis is a good thing of course, and all too often it is justified. But it is important to know that the cynicism and “revanchisme” many of us boast now these days, are not helping us at all. The Union seems to be paralysed, not because of the budget row I think, but mainly because of the different views on a unified Europe. Anglo-Saxon style vs. Napoleon style, it seems to never end. The Constitution was too ambitious, and overstretched, but sooner or later, Europe has to find a Project For The Future. Making things easier, like kicking countries out or leaving the Union would be a setback, to the 30’s, I think. So we will have to compromise, the UK, France, Slovenia,… everybody. We’re all close neighbours and the common challenges (economical, social, environmental, terrorism,…) are enormous.
Being a Belgian, the crisis is difficult to understand. In Belgium, there have never been any doubts about the EU itself. From time to time, it’s policy enrages some farmers, harbour-staff or anti-globalists, but the Institution itself, the need, le raison d’être is for most Belgians quite evident. Why? Since the arrival of the Romans, some 5000 (world)wars have been fought over in our little country. Peace is not an option, and the more our big European neighbours are on speaking terms, the better. Moreover the Union is something very tactile: thousands MEP’s and other European civil servants are actually living next door, and every week our capital is visited/invaded by men of state and protesters as they head to one of the many Commissions or Parliaments. It’s good because it’s peace. Also, being the heart of a trade-union has improved the standard of living of many. A very important, but second-class Pro-Union argument.
As a civil servant and as a student and being a Dutch-speaking young person in multilingual Brussels, I am very interested in the future of Europe, something unique, and omnipresent.
So I’d like to submit my thoughts about these topics and events (to come). Hoping to learn and anticipate, and most of all, to put my brick into the building of the Future.
Greetings,
djr
As a loyal reader of your website and a pro European Union citizen, I would like to participate in the panel of readers you are organising. Unlike many UK-readers, who criticize the Union being a bureaucracy-choked morass, holding back economic growth, I tend to see the benefits and need of a Union that is more then a free-trade-organisation. Being critical about this supranational organisation in crisis is a good thing of course, and all too often it is justified. But it is important to know that the cynicism and “revanchisme” many of us boast now these days, are not helping us at all. The Union seems to be paralysed, not because of the budget row I think, but mainly because of the different views on a unified Europe. Anglo-Saxon style vs. Napoleon style, it seems to never end. The Constitution was too ambitious, and overstretched, but sooner or later, Europe has to find a Project For The Future. Making things easier, like kicking countries out or leaving the Union would be a setback, to the 30’s, I think. So we will have to compromise, the UK, France, Slovenia,… everybody. We’re all close neighbours and the common challenges (economical, social, environmental, terrorism,…) are enormous.
Being a Belgian, the crisis is difficult to understand. In Belgium, there have never been any doubts about the EU itself. From time to time, it’s policy enrages some farmers, harbour-staff or anti-globalists, but the Institution itself, the need, le raison d’être is for most Belgians quite evident. Why? Since the arrival of the Romans, some 5000 (world)wars have been fought over in our little country. Peace is not an option, and the more our big European neighbours are on speaking terms, the better. Moreover the Union is something very tactile: thousands MEP’s and other European civil servants are actually living next door, and every week our capital is visited/invaded by men of state and protesters as they head to one of the many Commissions or Parliaments. It’s good because it’s peace. Also, being the heart of a trade-union has improved the standard of living of many. A very important, but second-class Pro-Union argument.
As a civil servant and as a student and being a Dutch-speaking young person in multilingual Brussels, I am very interested in the future of Europe, something unique, and omnipresent.
So I’d like to submit my thoughts about these topics and events (to come). Hoping to learn and anticipate, and most of all, to put my brick into the building of the Future.
Greetings,
djr
posted by dejongerembrandt at 1:02 pm
2 comments
