Europe's Next Step.

What's next for Europe? The Observer's Will Hutton says the project of European integration is at a turning point:

If mishandled, the crisis may even lead to closure, protection, recession and the disintegration of the euro - and the balkanisation of Europe into mutually suspicious and hostile camps. The end of an era of easy movement from country to country embodied by cheap flights, a single currency and growing interpenetration of each other's economies is now in prospect. Historians may come to say that Europeans never knew they had it so good, but then they threw it away.

How's this: wider integration is where it's at, deeper integration is the Pandora's box of the European experiment. Drop the political, salvage the economic and finish the job developing and integrating the east.

Deeper integration, political integration is the elephant riding Europe. Jean Monnet's "United States of Europe," according the BBC's John Simpson, is dead. Forcing member states to sacrifice political autonomy to Brussels will be met with harsh consequences that could sink the single market and the euro. Instead of producing a richer Europe, the political carnage will leave an economic shell behind.

Comments

[R C Dean]

I think the difficulty arises from the euro. It is very difficult to have a common currency that is not under central management, so to speak. The euro may not be viable long-term in the absence of the EU superstate.

The question, I think, is whether the degree of economic integration that can be achieved in the absence of the euro is sufficient, or whether the political integration necessary to support the euro is the unavoidable price of economic integration because the euro is essential on the economic side.

[B.P.]

Soon they'll be constructing huge dreadnaughts and cranking out melodramatic poetry.

[Shawn Smith]

<offtopic>

Man, I thought the main posts on H&R would be a place where I wouldn't be exposed to, "where it's at." I was wrong. I hate that phrase. What's wrong with "where Europe needs to go"?

</offtopic>

[Pro Libertate]

I have an idea. Move the E.U. capital to Rome, don togas, declare Latin to be the official E.U. language, and adopt the motto, Senatus Populusque Romanus.

One fringe benefit of this solution--besides its utter coolness--is that ancient Rome didn't have a written constitution at all, so the Europeans could skip all of this silly ratification stuff. All they'd have to do is declare, "Rome is back, all former Roman provinces submit, thank you very much."

[Tim Cavanaugh]

So is there any hope that we might go back to the Articles of Confederation?

[Pro Libertate]

Why yes, yes we may. All part of Throw-Back Government Day.

The first five million people to show up in the U.S. get free tricorne hats.

[isildur]

Modern Romans are unable to run their single city. I'd hate to see what they'd do turned loose on the entire continent of Europe.

[Fabius Maximus]

If the EU gets to play Rome, does that mean we'll have to settle for the role of Parthia?

That might induce me to change my pseudonym to Mithridates or Arsaces and take up archery.

[Pro Libertate]

Playing Parthia to Europe's Rome would sure beat playing Carthage. I, for one, don't want to be slaughtered or get an unhealthy amount of salt added to the soil of my homeland.

Maybe we should be Rome, and Europe can be Byzantium. Kind of makes sense. And the need to look good in a toga would help combat our national obsesity "crisis" 🙂 Though I do like Tim's idea of reviving the 1780s here, even if the clothing wouldn't be as sexy.

[kwais]

Man, now that I think about it, I want Europe to stay together. When I visit, I would like a single currency, so that calculating exchange is easier on my brain housing group. I would like them to adopt one language too, preferebly English or Spanish, so I can get around easier.

That is where it's at.

[Andrew Ian Dodge]

Kwais that was the ludicrous argument that was made supporting the Euro in the first place. The Euro is falling apart and some countries in it are wishing they had never joined. The UK is looking smug as the Euro-zone stagnates.

[kwais]

So is that not where it's at?

[Ambiorix]

Well, let me say this: The death of the EU has been announced on several occasions.

Sure, it struggles from crisis to crisis, but it is still here.

The euro is wonderfull if you have to go around the Continent, no more stupid exchanges ( and exchange losses, commissions,...). And the countries as Andrew says that want out ( like Italy) would have a much harder time without it.

People always talk how bad it is, but they don't mention things like being able to cheaply buy a house in another country, live there and maybe even get elected as mayor of their new home-town.

Or no more stupid border-controls.

Sure, the CAP is something horrible, but if the Brits complain about a Brussels nanny, I would advise them to look at London first ( see one off the other threads a little higher)

One of the problems has always been that the governments (sp?) always blamed the EU for some unpopular decission they had to make and always blew there own horn whenever they could do something, like building a new road or hospital, when in actuallity the money came from teh EU.

So it was something like: BAD measure -> EU
GOOD measure -> ME
well it are politicians...
So can you blame the people for losing there faith in the EU?