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June 20, 2005
Being European
Being from somewhere, anywhere, has its ups and downs. Being European, these days, is at times a bit of a challenge.
Take, for instance, the failed EU summit which followed the failed ratification of the EU treaty. Worse, our leaders have taken to mud-slinging. For some, the UKs persistence on its discount (as negotiated by Maggie Thatcher, by the way) is at fault, for others it's Chirac's stubborn fight for EU farming subsidies, where France is the largest beneficiary.
Equally bad, the 'farcical' Formula1 race yesterday - F1 in the States is perceived as a European show, I am told - with a French tyre manufacturer as the origin of all troubles did not help much to lift our spirits.
No, being European is not that easy.
In the case of the EU treaty, as good as it was - or was meant to be - the failure of ratification might actually be a good thing. The fact is, the fewest residents actually bothered even checking on what it was about (that's easy). In the case of France, it was about showing discontent with the governments domestic affairs, and in Holland it was unhappiness with being the highest relative net provider of funds, which all go to keeping French cows happy.
As much as European unity is a worthwhile goal (I'd be quite happy with a single state and citizenship), it is unrealistic to overlook what the majority of people think: the EU is a bad thing. Any agreement or directive is bound to be a compromise and therefore bad.
The problem lies within poor communication, both on part of the EU and of the respective governments in the member countries. Further, the highest instance (council) is not a democratically elected body. The European Parliament is a body without teeth.
Anyway, there are plenty of issues abound. There is currently an opportunity to take a breath and start again. I think it is right to stop any further expansion - possibly including Romania and Bulgaria - and try and get internal affairs going again before anything else. There's plenty of time for other things.
As for Formula 1, thankfully I don't really care. I think it's overhyped anyway and nothing like it used to be in the seventies and eighties. Mais quand même, quel dommage :)
On the positive side, as a European, there are plenty of good things to enjoy. If anything, others envy our summers. I fully agree. Chin Chin to California.
Posted by Irakli at June 20, 2005 06:31 PM
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