Much has been said over the years about the merits or faults of the European Union, and some of it is, no doubt, actually true. Unfortunately there are also many apocryphal stories about bureaucratic excesses that are fictional, some partly and some in their entirety. They have created an image in peoples' minds of an organisation that is wasteful, interfering and non-sensical in its approach to life and its problems.
The European Union (EU) has evolved from the old European Economic Community (EEC) in a way that was not originally planned or anticipated. It has become a kind of 'United States of Europe', or it's being developed along those lines, and this has meant that the countries involved have become far more closely connected than purely along economic lines. This has been something created by politicians without first clearing it with their electorate, pushing the boundaries outwards and selling it to their public almost as a finished package. There can be no doubt that this was not what was originally intended, but it has been generally accepted; my feeling has always been that it has happened because of the ambitions (vision???) of politicians and was not thought through properly. Certainly mistakes have been made along the way, but overall I do not think it has ended up as a bad thing. The rapid expansion of the group of nations from 15 to 28 within a short space of time was another politically motivated move, more 'good news and bad news' contained therein, with few (nobody?) fully understanding the impact on the pre-existing structure and members.
Alas this way forward has proved to be full of problems which now threaten the very existence of the EU. Suddenly countries are talking of leaving (and, indeed, some voting to do so - Brexit), nationalist sentiments appear all over the place (some in very extreme versions), there is disquiet in the ranks and a sense of an experiment going wrong, with serious economic problems affecting some member states in fundamental ways. Is it the fault of the EU and is it about to collapse?
I think not. Let me clarify one thing: I am a passionate European and have always seen myself as such. I love the sense of history pervading every corner of our continent, even though some of it is decidedly unsavoury. I adore the fact that Europe has played a pivotal role in the development of civilisation as we know it, and that European thought and culture has reached around the globe. Yet I am also fascinated by the local differences that exist in minute distances, the changes in customs, in food, in dialect, the small scale of the place. I'm blown away by the beautiful old buildings that still exist all over Europe, despite several wars that left the continent in tatters. Even if I were to be exiled to the other side of the world I would still feel European, to the bone.
This does not make me wilfully blind to the EUs faults, mistakes and problems. Where I differ from the Brexiteers, however, is that I believe the way forward is to improve and modify, not exterminate, the EU and all it represents. But, I am told, this has not proved possible so far and therefore it's best to abandon this 'Titanic' to its fate and try living free from all the restrictions, regulations and obligations. And as for the Euro, well, it's so obviously doomed...
Imagine for a moment how far science and inventions would get if anything that has not been possible before is just abandoned as impossible!
I disagree fundamentally with the idea that any institution, never mind one as important as the EU, cannot be improved; what is maybe lacking is the will to change from within, to disrupt the status quo, to limit some of the privileges and to give some consideration to understanding the differences between the members and their needs. Yet this is the absolute essential that must be pursued, for indeed the problems are many and threatening, and I cannot believe that the EU participants cannot see and sense this, nor that they will sit back and not respond to the challenge.
There must be change, and it must be on many levels, for the EU to survive intact and to ultimately develop further. Any other Europeans out there willing to help make it happen? Mr. Juncker and Co., you are included in this, listen and act to prove the doubters wrong.
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