The flow of eurodoubts

A blunt, irreverent snapshot of the ongoing problems of European integration was conveyed by French-German ecologist MEP Daniel Cohn-Bendit. On the eve of the funerals of Margaret Thatcher, Cohn-Bendit claimed that the British premier of the 1980s "can be proud of her 27 children who share her same views and reiterate her own claim: ‘I want my money back’". The former ’68 leader underlined the eurosceptic and nationalistic stances endorsed not only by public opinion in Europe, suffering the backlash of a deep financial crisis and surging unemployment, but also by institutional seats, Member States’ governments and political leaders.Countless examples to this regard include British Premier David Cameron’s announcement to hold an in-out referendum on Europe, which exemplifies surging malaise vis a vis the common institutions, especially in Northern Europe. Anti-Europeanist sentiments are registered also in Germany, facing upcoming legislative elections in September. This could explain why Chancellor Angela Merkel, in order to assure a victorious outcome in the polls, is winking at Cameron. The picture was conveyed in clear words by the international press, including "The Times", with an op-ed by Thomas Kielinger: "Angela and David,— theirs must be one of the most eye-catching romances of recent political history". Cross-channel doubts are supported by many Germans, and they could be decisive when casting their votes. Another element is clear: the financial and economic crisis imported by America five years ago found Europe and its member countries unprepared: structurally weak banking systems, unstable public accounts, scarcely competitive productive and commercial bodies, innovation and research outside of "first ranking" realms, productivity and labor costs, costly and not always efficient welfare. Hence a set of interventions, both at national and EU level, are aimed at curbing the economic downturn, focusing on austerity rather than on recovery targeted at growth, investment and employment. Popular discontent is comprehensibly born here, expressed with populism, neo nationalism, protectionist resurgence, and with the emergence of anti-Euro political parties, such as the recently born "Alternative für Deutschland" led by economist Bernd Lucke. Nonetheless, political analysts noted that "Europe is not the problem. In fact, it could be the solution to all our problems", as stated by the president of the EU Commission José Manuel Barroso. Thus "more Europe" is needed, along with "joint answers to problems that affect us all". But a set of pitfalls and mistakes should be acknowledged, along with the delayed decisions of national leaders whose self-closures was accompanied by the slogan: "I want my money back". The European Union is still seeking a sound balance between some of its founding values, notably between "solidarity" and "responsibility", as Jyrki Katainen, the prime minister of a "virtuous" country such as Finland, said during a debate with MEPs on Tuesday 16 April: "The European Union must be stronger and fair. It must respect common values and rules. Member States must act in solidarity, but they also have to do their homework". Concrete and urgent decisions can be delayed no further, in order to prompt economic growth in the old continent and set the engine of political integration into motion. Morgan Stanley’s chief economist Joachim Fels underlined the urgency of banking union and balanced budgets for the EU, in order to fund investment and development policies. The EU Commission underlined the need to complete the internal market, to fully carry out economic and monetary union, to establish shared interest policies in the areas of energy, infrastructure, research, foreign trade, high level training, security, environment… Along the way it should be remembered that the democratic deficit continues keeping EU citizens distant from the EU. A growing "gap" separates the EU from its citizens who view national governments initiatives as the sole defenders of the interests of the Germans, French, Spaniards, Poles, Italians and Lithuanians. But the lesson that should be learned from globalization is that a large part of the sectors that used be coordinated by the political realm can no longer be managed by capital cities alone, and that major national and social challenges involve major regional blocs. More "fair" Europe is needed, for the good of all citizens.