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captain carot on 08 May 2015
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Qwark said:
captain carot said:


Something like United Nations of Europe would take a long time. But i think it's not impossible. Not in the long term. That would have to mean that nations are willing to give up some things to a real european government though. Something i do not see right now.


Now, what can the EU right now give? Actually stability. That is something you can see in the other problem countries like Ireland, Spain, Italy...

They've had a really tough time and still have, but as for example Spains economy would likely have fallen apart if not in the EU.


Political weight. Let's face it. A single european state, even Germany, France or UK does not at all have the big political weight. EU could have that and basically already has it if decisions are made together instead against each other.

 

By the way, most german banks are stable. Deutsche Bank just wants to get rid of its not so profitable sectors like small private customers and it has to pay a penalty, though a huge one.

Your great british banking and finance sector shows another problem on the other hand. It's to big. one nice finance crash or the wrong bank collapsing and UK's economy, at least as long as it is alone, basically would fall apart.


I am Dutch not British, Spain, Portugal, Ireland and Italy did not fall apart due to the EU, which is nice but never the less the EU shouldn´t be to much of a new US. Why would Germany, France, Uk, Benelux even want such a thing they are doing quite well and there economies are running good as they always have and always will. That economic status is hard earned and due to the crisis these countries endured quite a lot. On second hand a eurosuperstate could only be a concensus made decission since a 50%+ vote would cause an outrage and possibly countries leaving EU directly. Technically even Greece could prevent such a thing happening.

European countries are not American states we work together (because we need and like to), but in the very essence we are indvidual countries which also compete against eachother. Take the Harbour of Rotterdam and the Harbour of Antwerpen, those harbours compete against eachother but also work together. They both want to be the best and the Governments of the respected countries want to have the most safe and the biggest harbour possible. Make a superstate and SuperEU would decide the fate of these harbours. A superstate would be to masssive and to much of bureaucraty, I for one am glad that the British and Dutch EU ministers stopped the European constitution replacing national constitution. Even though some things like gay marriage might be allowed in whole Europe affective at the date clearance was allowed, the country doesn't choose to do that and could still make it very hard for those people to actually do it. 

Decissions in Europe are made either by consensus or a 50%+ voting panel, so technicaly it's pretty much democratic. My only problem witth the EU is, that is has to much direct delegated laws and to few guidelines with a deadline, (not making it has concequences unless you are France). It gives a sharing policy throughout Europe yet it keeps it's diversity and countries can do there thing in it's own way. This way would be supported by most citizens of a country since they can actually protest against things, try protesting against an EU regulation most people wouldn't even know where to begin. The EU should focus more on it's original goals which are support peace, environment, knowledge and economic growth throughout and sometimes even outside Europe. And less about which countrie should do what on migration, healthcare, education, crime fighting, agriculture and god knows what. Let countries find that out with eachother without some superstate interference. So less EU interference on some areas and more on other areas no need to transform into the United States of Europe.


Well, we are individual countries, yes. But why should it stay this way forever. I live really close to the dutch border and Belgium is also pretty near. And i'd say except for language (though i speak a little bit dutch) i have more in common with the Dutch near the border than with most Bavarians. Local dialects, though most are dying out, are actually far closer to Dutch than to bavarian dialects as well.

Now, German history is interesting at that point. Even at the time we had the holy roman empire of german nations, it was basically many smaller and bigger individual states. Which fought against each other, competed...

One real major german state barely exists 150 years. Okay, it's been two states for about 40 of those years. Since 1949 we have a federal republic. Every federal land having it's own government.

 

So why not at one time somewhere in the future have a federated Europe? Because we are afraid to loose our nationality?

 

Now for bureaucracy, regulations and so on. Right now the EU government if one wants to call it that way is nothing as a bureaucratic monster regulating sometimes strange things. Though not everything is bad. You said education and crime fighting. Though i wouldnt want to tell anyone how to run his educative system, it's not neccessarily bad if at least some things are unified. Like Univerity degrees and such things. That makes not only studying outside your country easier but also getting a job in other european states.

While every state right now has its own jurisdiction, it is everything but bad to have international collaboration, cooperation and at least some degree of international standards. Law enforcement passing the borders of a state can be made much easier for example.