Europe, an act of good will

"Europe is the result of an act of will and of a decision. It springs from faith in man’s peace-building capacities. Nobody has ever been forced to take part in it. It was built with patience and with the courage of many, until today. Nonetheless, Europe appears to be distant", states Pierre de Charentenay, editor-in-chief of "Études" from 2004 to 2012, in the op-ed published in the magazine’s latest issue. The new editor-in-chief François Euvé took office on January 1st 2013.The foundations of the euro currency. "This unprecedented European crisis signals the fragility of the single currency project". According to the Jesuit Father, "the single currency was meant to be the result of a broad harmonization involving the banking, financial and industry systems, as well as the economic realm as a whole". Instead, the various fiscal and social measures, the different economic dynamics adopted at national level, have caused an unbalance. While the adoption of the euro couldn’t be delayed until "the harmonization of national economic and financial systems" was reached, the reasons for the ongoing financial crisis are yet to be ascertained. A multifaceted crisis. "Indeed, the existence of France or Germany is not questioned. Yet Europe’s existence is called into question, for it is not viewed as a natural body. Europe was created in specific historical circumstances, and the crisis now weighs heavily on the principles of its establishment. Notably, the principle of solidarity, meant to be one of its pillars, is at risk". That principle is often trampled upon, as when Greece is welcomed as an EU-member country, despite its failure to comply with the requirements demanded of all accessing countries. "EU Member States should have assumed their responsibilities by calling for the respect of the rules that everyone is called to respect. Solidarity can be very demanding". Conversely, priority was given to symbolic motivations to justify EU adhesion. The crisis in solidarity was also evident "in a proprietorial defense of national sovereignty: the fear of local reactions prevailed on the quest for community-building". This approach has led to tolerate the reality of various countries: Greece, marked by "a medieval family system"; Spain, with its property-policy; Italy "which fails to crush the mafia"; France "that has failed to curb national deficit due to domestic reasons". Loss of popular support. There also is "a crisis in confidence by EU populations": "many Europeans non longer recognize the interest of European dynamics; citizens are afraid of loosing their identity, autonomy, and decision-making powers. Confidence in European institutions is limited. Such bodies are often identified with globalization processes, unrestrained market liberalism, high unemployment rates". Owing to the causes of erosion in confidence "the concerns for coexistence have been replaced by self-concerns, by worries regarding self-security, health and wellbeing". Secondly, "governments are lacking a pedagogy for relations with the EU". National governments fear that stating the effectiveness of European dynamics "could be viewed as a loss in power, to the benefit of community decision-making dynamics".An occasion to deepen relations. The crisis should be an occasion "to deepen the mutual relations between EU countries, and create the foundations that the euro is lacking". "Future is not the disappearance of the euro currency but a broader federalism, a harmonization of the foundations of the euro, starting with a European banking union and a loan system for national debts", as decided by the European Council past June. "Europe depends on its members’ adhesion to its principle. There is no externally binding power".Articulating solidarity and subsidiarity. "Subsidiarity, another major pillar, is not understood at grassroots level". People think the EU interferes in all areas of society, and they are unaware that certain areas fall within national, autonomous responsibilities. Moreover, "in those areas whereby the EU provides a better solution to political challenges and if the European common good demands a single response, then EU responsibility is justified, as it provides the answer to the request of appropriate circumstances for the implementation of the subsidiarity principle". Weak political power, changing democracy. The point at issue is "the weakness of the EU’s political power", which "prevents the identification of a common solution and discourse enabling all peoples to understand the need for a more extensive Community dynamics. One of the weaknesses lies in the complexities of EU institutions and of the European system, along with "the great distance separating grassroots level and leadership (EU Parliament), mentioned in ongoing debates highlighting a want of democracy in Europe". On the other hand "democracy has changed: citizens want to be directly consulted, they don’t trust parliamentary representatives and prefer direct consultations". This implies an open and transparent political debate, which extends to the press. "Such debate would counter euroscepticism, which has become engrained in the state of ignorance citizens in which citizens live".