The European Union and the Politization of Europe: A Promise of Regionalisation under a New Common Roof, Caught in New Nationalism?

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  • Presentation speakers
    • Gerhard Eichweber, Silva Plan / Value Group, Switzerland

  Abstract:

  Where is the right of dissociation to accompany the right of association? How to avoid the need to change any of the current borders? The peoples of Europe have bet with great hopes on the European Union. Apparently much more so, than the Member States. Here, nationalism and political egoisms have only briefly domesticated their egoisms. Moreover, the process of unification of Europe has been halted by political pressures exercised after the fall of the “Iron Curtain”. Like many more “old” continents, the current maps of Europe, its countries, states and regional associations and, moreover, all borders, are the result of incidents. Effects of mostly unfriendly forceful, moreover, most often brutal submission of some people by others. If Europe, its states and borders are the result of any law or “right”, they result from the “right” of the stronger, the more brutal, the more infamous, over the more righteous and more peaceful. The law of war. The right to use military force to obtain illegitimate goals. A still defended as their right by some states and their ruling cliques of whatever orientation and the “political” classes they nurture. With other words: history, as a history of changing alliances and their wars has left Europe’s peoples, more or less, but mostly less forcefully divided and united with others, in close association with some, even if culturally less compatible than others. The resulting associations have long been denied dissociation. Yet, where dissociation and/or different re-association have been granted and realized peacefully, these have led to prosperity and peace as result of self determination of the fates of the respective peoples left alone or reunited with their close ones. Here, the “Saar”-Region, now Federal State of Germany, and Slovenia, but also Czechia and Slovakia may serve as examples. After World War II, the experience of wars of ever increasing duration and cruelty has led to Europe’s unification process aimed at forming, slowly but steadily, the United States of Europe. From the minimal, yet decisive first steps, called the “Montan Union”, via the EEC and the EC, the EC has been grown and, despite the addition of members, steadily developing. But then a series of events, namely induced by changes of governments and of the riches of states (e.g. Petroleum in Norway and Scotland as part of Great Britain) have led to counteractions by some states, initially disturbing but eventually halting the unification process. Furthermore, initially hidden, then forceful pressures and again hidden influence by foreign countries, such as the USA, have induced the premature enlargement of the European Union as well as fierce animosities and counterproductive policies by governments of such new member states. Internally, the EU Administration as well as Governments have silently increasingly aborted the proclaimed “Europe of Regions” concept and instead enforced a counterproductive egalitarian “Convergence Policy” with many effects not only not serving anyone, but ruining faith of peoples in the European Union. This paper is an account of historic memories as perceived as a bystander, then a politically active citizen, then as a management consultant, eventually contributing with his expertise in a sabbatical to the turnaround of a European regions, and later again watching from an increasing distance of a more global activity. In this paper the author reviews the history of the European Union. A history survived live. A memory partly fed by information publicly available from the media, and partly received as information from insiders and close bystanders, plus own brief interventions in processes. The narration of the Unification Process as communicated to and perceived and memorized by the peoples is accounted again, in order to hint upon the origins and causes of ill and counterproductive developments further to be investigated, analyzed and critically presented by researchers of the matter. By presenting a structure of topics to be analyzed by inquisitive studies aimed at providing information about what all went wrong, why and how, and how to overcome the stumbling stones in the way of the peoples in order to no longer see their hopes in Europe betrayed, this paper ends with a statement on Europe’s potentials, which to fully develop is presented as a categorical imperative. Not only for Europe, but for the world and of prosperity and peace for all.

 

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