And so the farce of the so called E.U. has finally been uncovered! The "Eurocrates" in Brussels and Strasbourg finally have taken off their masks. The myth of the European Union did live a rather long life and we did believe in it for a time. But when the going got tough, the horrid reality and the "real meaning" of the European Union was for all to see.
Since the birth of the European Union in post-war Europe, 1957 and the signing of the Rome accords that have been put down in the history books as the birth mark of the European Union, a myth has been created. The myth that a basic neo-liberal free trade agreement was in fact a much more humane and dignified human experience. In this "utopia" the E.U. was more then just a free trade agreement, it was the start of the construction of "United States of Europe" as Churchill once pronounced. It was more social then economic, it was about the people and not about the corporations. The "common-money" was not just an economic factor, it was a factor of unity. The birth of the common monetary zone was supposed to be a step in the right direction, a step in the direction of further unity and cooperation between divergent european nations. It was supposed to bring us together... but it has brought us apart!
Europe, the European Union nations are now facing the worst economic downturn in the history of the union without doubt. The 2008 crisis that lead to a globalized recession, is the worst possible scenario for Brussels, but it is also the E.U. first major crisis.
You see transnational institutions that have the pretension to affirm such global and humane values are really only put to test in economic downturns such as the one we are passing through as this article is being written. And so what lessons can we take from the E.U.'s reaction to the global economic crisis? Not a very good from my point of view.
The fantasy of a great and grand European Union was torn into shreds by the debt crisis, so were the acquisitions of the European Union founding fathers (Jean Monet and Konrad Adenauer etc...). The fact is that the general idea we have of the European Union and it's real face are very divergent. It's "ideal" face (in sense of the way it should be) and it's practical face are unrecognizable. That's why it's fair to say that European Union is bipolar and edging on schizophrenia. Because on one hand the European Union has such great principals and values, and on the other it erodes democracy and diminishes economic equity in it's member countries.
I'm from the first generation of "Europeans". The first real generation of a generalized erasmus exchange system. Me and so many of my close friends are the product of Europe. We have lived in various European countries, speak various languages and have contacts throughout Europe. We are the first generation to almost automatically say we are Europeans instead of French, Spanish or German etc...
But we are not products of the European Union, but we might soon be...
By this I'm saying that in one way the E.U. did break down the national barriers and permitted a greater transnational cooperation/connection. But this success is only the visible tip of the iceberg. I also have the firm conviction that E.U. or no E.U. transnational cooperation/exchange/connection would have only increased.
Having lived in Europe for 11 years of my life, and having travelled extensively throughout the European heart land and speaking four of it's languages, I considered myself as much as I am Canadian, a European. And more then just a European I considered myself pro-European. And in being a pro-European, I believe that it is my duty to point out the problems with the E.U.
Having lived in Belgium and having spent some time in Brussels, I always had the impression passing by the great buildings of the European Commission and other "grand" institutions of "Pan-Europeanism" that there was a huge disconnect between the European quarter of Brussels, between the spirit that resided in such a place and the rest of Europe and specially in my "European" home of Lisbon. It's almost impossible to explain how huge the gap is, because the gap is so big it's impressive. They really are two worlds apart.
Sometimes I hear, people referring to the European Union as a Union of different countries of different speeds. Let me explain myself, first you have the European Heart: I would consider that the more robust economies meaning Germany, the United Kingdom, the Benelux, France and the Scandinavian members, then you have the group of less integrated members (medium speed): that being Spain, Italy, Poland the "economic miracle" of Slovenia and others... and then you have the "outsiders" (low speed): that being since the economic downturn of 2008 Ireland, Portugal and Greece but also countries like Latvia ( that in 2008 hit a recession of 10.5% of it's GDP, an important chunk of it's economic growth since it's entrance into the "free" market economy, "evaporated").
The E.U. imposed "criminal" economic austerity measures in countries such as Greece and Portugal. Those two countries have been forced by the almighty Troika to accept to be the economic slaves of creditors in big multinational banks (alike the banks that "levelled" the terrain for such an economic crisis to grow) for the next decade. The problem with those countries, is that they have been hijacked by a political elite that cares more for benefit, then for social justice and social ascension. Just like Portugal and Greece, the E.U. has been overrun by corporate and banker interests. The once grand idea of a social/cultural union between European nation-states is but a fade, old, grey memory, lost in the dustbins of history.
Now the agenda of the day is austerity and the concentration of economic power in the hands of a political and economical elite and the "damnation" of the lower and middle classes of the "damed nations".
The funny thing is that in these modern days and times, political guidelines of left and right, are of no importance whatsoever. So the E.U. does it's magic of a European division of labour. The lower speed countries thus will always be dependent on the higher speed countries. And so the shift of national sovereignty and self-determination is transferred from Lisbon and Athens to Brussels (the HQ of the multinational corporation that is the E.U.).
And this is a fact, the European Union staged a number of "democratic coups" and even undemocratic coups. But because they aren't violent and gruesome, they aren't newsworthy. At the end of the last year the democratically elected governments of Portugal, Greece, Italy and Spain we're removed from power through democratic and undemocratic coups. The most notable one was the coup the E.U. backed by Sarko-Merkel axe hosted against the left-wing coalition of Mr. Papandreou. The link between all of these coups each and every government was replaced with a neo-liberal cabinet.
The problem with Brussels, isn't that Brussels is broken, it's that Brussels is bought.
But do not lose hope. As you few that read my posts with regularity know, I'm a eternal optimist. I believe that many Europeans are now awakening to this reality and want change. They don't want change because they are fed-up with the current system, they want change because that's their only way out, the only way to survive. We have been pushed into a conner, the media and our political elite want to make us believe that this the only way. But we know it isn't! We just have to look north to Iceland to see that there is an alternative way.
As I write this post, families in Greece and my dear Portugal awake to yet another painful day of austerity. The pain is huge in Portugal and Greece over the last past 6 months, the number of child "abandonments" has risen dramatically and let's not talk about the suicide rates (that I guess that isn't newsworthy either). People tend to link crime to murder and violent crime, but how ,about the crime of being the cause of death indirectly? Economic crimes against humanity have been lunched by the corporate interest, their banks and by their lobbies and for the time being the I.M.F., the E.U. and the World Bank have been complacent.
But we have to remind Brussels, one little thing... they aren't "EUROPE", we are "EUROPE". We citizens of all colours and creeds, of all walks of live, of all linguistic backgrounds and cultural settings we are the "European Dream". It's time to take back our Europe, the Europe of our founding fathers.
"EUROPE" doesn't solely reside in Strasbourg or Brussels, "EUROPE" resides in the port workers of Piraeus, "EUROPE" resides in the dreams of an African immigrant traveling stormy seas tonight. "EUROPE" resides in us, not in some of us, but in all and each and everyone of us. And a threat against the spirit of "EUROPE" anywhere is a threat to "EUROPE" everywhere.
Sky
