The EU - 50 years old
The political issues evident in the EU are transnational, but they reflect the issues in member countries. The institutional issues seem to be mostly unique, but upon closer inspection, they too reflect the political arguments within the member countries.If there's a way to summarize this article into a sentence or a little paragraph to update your textbook's account of the EU, that's probably all your students need. We need to be aware of more of the details and nuances involved in these complex issues.
The New York Times published this Reuters article.
Call for Ambitious Treaty Marks EU 50th Anniversary
"Europe's longest-serving leader [Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker] urged the European Union to finalize an ambitious reform treaty by the end of the year as leaders from 27 member states gathered in Berlin on Saturday to celebrate the bloc's 50th anniversary..."German Chancellor Angela Merkel... will unveil the 'Berlin Declaration,' a statement on the bloc's values and achievements she hopes will generate new momentum for European unity after French and Dutch voters rejected the first EU constitution in 2005.
"The two-page statement... sets a 2009 deadline for giving the bloc... institutional reforms meant to [create] a long-term president and foreign minister, a simpler decision-making system and more say for the European and national parliaments.
"However, in a reflection of deep divisions about how to move forward, the declaration makes no specific reference to the constitution and avoids mentioning future enlargement -- one factor behind the French and Dutch no votes...
"The advent of Eurosceptical governments in Prague and Warsaw, as well as persistent public opposition in Britain, the Netherlands and France, mean Merkel's efforts to launch new treaty negotiations will be fraught with difficulty...
"Public support for membership has declined in many states because of fears the EU is failing to protect workers from globalisation, eroding national identities and meddling excessively in national affairs.
"A poll taken for the Eurosceptical Open Europe think-tank found nearly half of citizens in the euro zone would rather go back to the old national currencies they gave up in 2002..."
The article also noted that "Pope Benedict accused the EU of apostasy for refusing to mention Christianity in the Berlin Declaration." His statement represents the sentiment of many Christian conservatives in Europe. Another cleavage in the system.
Labels: EU, globalization
posted by Ken Wedding @ 8:59 AM
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