1

UROPE A BYGONE DREAM ?

Ralph Gdhelin

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UROPE A BYGONE DREAM?

Table of content P!eface #nt!od$ction &hapte! '( The Be)innin) &hapte! +( The E$!opean D!ea,
.i! t pha e( &!eation of /,bol fo! a United E$!ope

" % * ''0

1econd pha e( &!eation and t!en)thenin) of in tit$tion and othe! bodie fo! a United E$!ope +0 Thi!d pha e( O$tco,e of the D!ea, 21t!en)thenin) the co,,$nit/3 p!epa!in) and fo$ndin) the United 1tate of E$!ope 2U1E44 -% .o$!th pha e( &on olidation of achie5e,ent %+

&hapte! -( The Realit/ &hapte! "( 7hat ne8t? Anne8 Epilo)$e

%6 06 *9 *'

P!eface
This book is dedicated to the coming Europe, the truly United Europe. After the Second orld ar, Europe is in tatters and seems to ha!e no real future. Since e!erything is flattened on the ground, people ha!e other things on their mind than seeking retribution. "econciliation and the creation of structures, through #hich a ne# aggression by #homsoe!er becomes unthinkable, are the only realistic choices. $oliticians #ork hard to imagine a future and create a European dream% &ut #hat has become of this dream' here has it gone' (s it already in shambles, i.e. are #e again in catastrophic situation #ithout seeing a #ay out' )r is there still a chance' This booklet does not pretend to offer ready*made solutions and it does not encourage ideological debates. Some of the approaches presented here !iolate taboos and others may seem still poorly matured. (n fact, the author only intends to offer food for thought to re!itali+e the political, economic and cultural de!elopment of Europe. ,onetheless, the chapter 2- #he European $ream contains elements of a practical guide for the creation of the United States of Europe. .o#e!er, ( should like to stress that these suggestions did not spring from the brain of a politician, economist, financial e/pert, philosopher or Eurocrat but from the brain of a normal citi+en of the European Union, #ho has li!ed and #orked in se!eral countries of the Union, and for #hom Europe is dear to his heart. The author e/presses the hope, that #omen and men in Europe across all generations and all social classes take heart and feel moti!ated by this booklet to commit themsel!es #holeheartedly to this United Europe already seen in a dream. Especially the younger generation should not allo# itself to be infected by the Euro*scepticism of the older generation that cannot help but think in national terms.

E$!ope D!ea, and Realit/

#nt!od$ction
There are probably three ma1or themes #hich European citi+ens are concerned about- the idea of the European Union and #hat #ill come of it, climate change and its conse2uences, and finally the economic, financial and public debt crisis resulting from the malfunctioning of the European Union and in particular the Euro 3one. 4limate change is too comple/ a problem to be discussed in a single book #ithout becoming illegible5 and for no# ( do no longer belie!e that asking people to pay attention to the en!ironment could still make things happen- it is already a fe# minutes before midnight and #e are still arguing #hether human acti!ities are in any #ay responsible for the current climate change. This simply goes beyond my comprehension. e are running e!er faster against the #all #ithout noticing it. )n the other hand, #hen #riting about the European idea, #e cannot ignore the financial crisis * and no# also the dept crisis * and its impact. (t keeps e!eryone on their toes #hile barely ad!ancing, and #hen things do finally mo!e, the mo!e is often too hesitant5 this has as a conse2uence, that e!erything gets #orse by the day. "egarding Europe, ( do not think that e!erything is already lost- contrary to the problem of climate change, #e do not deal #ith the 2uestion of societal or indi!idual economic or ecological conduct and preferences such as forsaking or not of e/ponential economic gro#th, dri!ing smaller cars or e!en changing o!er to e/clusi!ely using public transportation, a more rational and more social financial #orld, etc. These things are almost taboo at times of economic crisis. .o#e!er, regarding the financial #orld, ( cannot help but !entilate a fe# ideas. "egarding to the idea of a deeply unified Europe, #ith un#a!ering support from true belie!ers, ( belie!e that there is still a good chance that European citi+ens are recepti!e. E!en today, courageous politicians could inspire their constituencies for this not so utopian Europe. (t #ould suffice that that they really #ant it and demonstrate this through action. (nstead of arguing #ith colleagues from other countries about national !ersus European responsibilities, the safeguarding of so!ereignty and about money, they should be inspired by the European spirit and make sure that Europe mo!es for#ard, so that it can occupy the place on the #orld stage that it deser!es. The purpose of this paper is to sho# European citi+ens #ays of making a truly United Europe attracti!e and to get rid of the past national po#er and so!ereignty approaches. hat is the point, if .eads of State agree to surrender any particular national prerogati!e to &russels, if later on these steps are not implemented #ith con!iction or are e!en completely blocked and national 6o!ernments do not support these decisions but re1ect them, branding their implementation as a submission to the &russels bureaucracy' ays to reach a solid and attracti!e Europe are described in this &ook- (n 4hapter 1, the reader is first reminded of the be)innin) of E$!ope since the foundation of the European Economic 4ommunity. 4hapter 2 describes ho# the European d!ea, could ha!e been implemented if the #ill had been there. 7or many, this seems like utopia5 but this utopia could ha!e been achie!ed, and it is perhaps not too late yet to re!erse the step and go a bit back#ards in order to then deliberately ad!ance to#ards this utopia. (n this conte/t ( should like to say, as did 8artin 9uther :ing, - ;( ha!e a dream <.=

>

hat could ha!e #orked differently, if people like ?ac2ues @elors had continued leading us into the future and if, instead of pri!atising public institutions, #e had created sustainable European institutions and public ser!ices' 8oreo!er, by introducing at least the option of a European nationality, #e #ould ha!e of course contributed to Europe being supported from belo#. (t #ould ha!e become ob!ious that the desire to be European really e/isted. (n todayAs #orld, #here politicians no longer ha!e the sense of ha!ing a duty to#ards their fello# citi+ens and e!en less of ha!ing a long*term !ision, but are only concerned about their ne/t re*election, in a #orld #here e!erything seems to be in constant motion and e!erything changes, #here there are no longer any points of reference, #here, #hat yesterday seemed to be a solid truth, is no longer true today, #here this race against the clock is considered to be a !irtue, and #here especially young people lose their orientation, ho# can #e be surprised if people lose confidence in the future and in the community and beha!e so often in a selfish and irrational #ay. (t is no# urgent to create something more lasting and that should be done in a #ay #here people are not only allo#ed to participate but are in!ited to participate- creating a Europe that holds together from inside5 because the people #ant it5 because they participate in the emergence and the preser!ation of this community5 and because they are al#ays moti!ated to further strengthen Europe from the inside. This Europe, strong from the inside, could become the ne/t rock in the sea of permanent change. (t could ser!e the citi+ens as a compass. Although many peoples li!e in this Europe, they all ha!e a common destiny. Together, they crossed the middle ages, shared the age of enlightenment, #aged #ars or suffered #ars that they did not cause, adopted the ideas of the 7rench re!olution more or less 2uickly, ha!e suffered under the occupation by the 6erman army and 6estapo and, after the Second orld ar, #ere di!ided into t#o camps. (t then seemed that there #ere no# definitely t#o different and separate destinies for Europeans. At the end of 1BCB, the (ron 4urtain #as raised and the citi+ens of Europe became again united in the same destiny. There is no more any !alid reason to make #ar in order to compete for positions of po#er or economic benefits. (t is this common destiny that unites Europeans and gi!es them the strength to put aside differences and reach out to their neighbours. ith this attitude as a dri!ing force for the unification of the European ,ations in a 7ederation or Union, #e cannot but belie!e that one day this #ill be accomplished. Unfortunately, because of lack of political #ill, the European idea has drastically #eakened o!er the past ten to fifteen years. At the same time, the political #rangling at national le!el as #ell as at the EU le!el has become a real $unch and ?udy sho#. $olitical initiati!es increasingly lack any substance and enforceability. This booklet is intended as a tool to re!i!e the European idea, the implementation of #hich seems no# more important and more urgent than e!er. ( should like to li!e the day #here #omen and men in the European Union descend in the streets to demonstrate for the European idea * and this until something starts to mo!e in the right direction. (ndeed, it #ould be great if for once #e could demonstrate fo! something instead of al#ays a)ain t. (n a d!ea,, reality and imagination are of course closely #o!en together and thus some historical dates #ere placed outside of their real historical conte/t, such as the election of ?ac2ues @elors as $resident of the European 4ommission and later the European 4ommunity, and the 6erman reunification. 7urthermore, some e!ents are bent to fit the dream, such as the $rague Spring, #hich is less brutally repressed than might ha!e been feared and the 8ay 1BDC student re!olt in $aris, #here students #ant faster progress for Europe * and so on. Since this is only a dream * and in a dream desire and imagination are the dri!ers * the reader is humbly asked to forgi!e the author this rearrangement of historical e!ents. 8oreo!er, the dream is

described as a personal dreamlike Ee/perienceE, inter#o!en #ith real episodes from the dreamerFs real life. 7inally, the #riter does not gi!e literature references for the actual historical e!ents mentioned as he belie!es that the ample documentation of a historical e!ent or its e/act description #ill not ser!e the purpose of this booklet. hat is really important, is the nature of the e!ent and that it embodies something e/emplary. .e has ne!ertheless sought to keep as close as possible to the facts #hen describing the !ealit/ G4hapter 3H. 7hat ne8t? G4hapter 0H $ossible futures for Europe #ill be discussed to#ards the end of this booklet. Se!eral routes are presented. They do not pretend to be more than food for thought.

Chapter 1 : The Beginning

Europe, as a geographical term, appears already in ancient 6reece and the "oman Empire. At about 1>J after 4hrist, the 6reek 4laude $tolemy, #ho, at the time of the "oman Empire, li!ed in Ale/andria, defines this term and gi!es it the geographical contours, locating the cities and !illages kno#n at the time #ithin these contours. @espite some de!iations from the geographical representation of Europe today, one can recogni+e Europe #ithout great difficulty Gif one ignores the EsystematicE errors, i.e. the error of se!en fifth in distance bet#een cities and the errors resulting from the pasting of collected data1H. &efore him, other definitions e/isted. After ha!ing con2uered and assimilated the 8editerranean regions, the "omans #ent about to con2uer the European space and made this pro1ect to become something like the idea and sense of their empire. &ut they did ne!er reach the limits to the ,orth and East of that geographical space G$a/ "omanaH. (n the 8iddle Ages, the idea continued to be ali!e and #as influenced mainly by the 4arolingian Empire G estern EuropeH and in part by 6ermanic legends. The .absburg monarchy then created a multi*ethnic ;European= :ingdom and Empire in 4entral Europe Gat times e!en including SpainH. Although the regime of this empire #as rather authoritarian, the political entity had the merit of functioning. Unfortunately, until the reign of 8aria Theresa, there #ere many customs offices #here duties had to be paid for goods crossing internal borders and sub1ects had to carry a passport #ith !alid !isas if they #anted to tra!el #ithin the .absburg Empire. hile the monarch has abolished an important number of them, these constraints ha!e ne!er completely disappeared. .o#e!er, the freedom of mo!ement of the population #as not e/cessi!ely restricted and there #as something like a feeling of belonging to a larger entity than 1ust the o#n county. (n 1DB3, illiam $enn, founder of the colony of $ennsyl!ania in ,orth America, #rote a paper #ith the title- EAn Essay To#ards the $resent and 7uture $eace of Europe.= (t proposes the creation of a European $arliament or 4ouncil. There is a rich literature on the theme of Europe from anti2uity to the 8iddle Ages, and to our days. e shall not d#ell any further on the historical origins of the European idea. (t should only be noted that the idea is not ne#. The attempts of understanding #hat ;Europe= means geographically and culturally, ha!e a long history and ha!e gi!en rise to different interpretations at different times. The political, social and economic dri!ers for a united Europe in a democratic conte/t ha!e e!idently emerged in much more recent timesThe most recent and also most earnest attempt to create a United Europe has its roots in understanding the causes of the 7irst and the Second orld ars. The policy of the European ,ation*States, the continuous pursuit of status of great po#er and of re!enge led to the 7irst orld ar, #hich led in turn to ne# resentments and, accordingly, to the Second orld ar. Thus, this policy #as doomed to failure. After the Second orld ar, far* sighted men such as inston 4hurchill Ghe called for the creation of the AUnited States of EuropeAH, "obert Schuman Ghe #anted to gradually build EuropeH, alter .allstein GEthere is an indestructible underlying European feeling EH, Sicco 8ansholt, ?oseph &ech, ?ean 8onnet, Alcide de 6asperi Ghe #arned that a purely administrati!e Europe #ithout greater political #ill behind it #ould not #ork because it #ould not be supported by the citi+ensH and 4onrad Adenauer therefore committed themsel!es to #ork to#ards a progressi!e rapprochement of the peoples of Europe, #ith the aim of one day creating a United Europe. They ha!e greatly contributed to the emergence of an ambitious and great European dream. This ne# Europe should pre!ent its people from once more killing each other. Thanks to the 8arshall $lan and
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other political agreements, the remaining estern 6ermany, #hich later became the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany, #as fairly 2uickly integrated into a ne# estern economic system and the initial dismantling of its industry 1ust after capitulation #as halted. The predominant mindset #as no# one of reconciliation, although the emerging confrontation bet#een the So!iet Union and the United States of America played an important role. (t all started in a !ery concrete manner #ith the European 4oal and Steel 4ommunity GE4S4H proposed by "obert Schuman to ensure free access to coal and steel for rebuilding the economic and industrial capacities of Europe. (t is #orth noting here that, contrary to #hat is happening today, #here hea!y industry has become almost insignificant, after the last #orld #ar, coal and steel #ere still the basic elements for economic gro#th of industrialised countries and of course also for rearmament for the ne/t #ar. 7rom this point of !ie#, the absence of national prerogati!es in this area has been a great #ay to pre!ent those nations participating in the E4S4 to rearm against each other #ithout ha!ing to take constraining measures. This kind of association of states #as, as it later turned out, the precursor of the European Economic 4ommunity or EE4. (n fact, the E4S4 #as a ground*breaking step. .ere #e see for the first time that, out of free #ill, States not 1ust 1oin, but sort of identify themsel!es #ith a supranational organi+ation. The si/ countries #ere- the &enelu/, G est*H 6ermany, 7rance and (taly. The E4S4 #as founded in April 1B>1 by the Treaty of $aris and came into effect one year later. The United :ingdom remained ho#e!er originally outside this community because she feared a partial loss of so!ereignty Gon this point, the attitude of 6reat &ritain has ne!er changed, e!en after her accession to the European 4ommunityH. Thus, out of the urgency of the post*#ar period, #as a grand European pro1ect and it could not stop here. 7or the first time in European history, national 6o!ernments #ere going to build a common future K at first strictly focused on the specific economic aspects of coal and steel. .o#e!er, 2uite soon there #ere also considerations about ho# cooperation could be e/tended to other economic sectors and ho# e!en political aspects could be included in this cooperation. As a conse2uence, a political #ill to embark on the path to#ards a European Economic 4ommunity going beyond coal and steel could arise, #ith the !ision of progressi!e economic and political integration of the 8ember States. (n 8arch 1B>I, the treaties of "ome GEE4 Treaty, and EU"AT)8 and the agreement on 1oint bodies for the European 4ommunitiesH #ere then signed by the E4S4 8ember States to enter into force nine months later.
One development ensuing from these political efforts to bring the group of six Western European countries closer together had a direct impact on my own life: In summer 195 ! the cities of "arseille and #amburg seal a partnership and this same year I am among the first students of #amburg who! than$s to a system for the exchange of students between schools in #amburg and "arseille! are invited to "arseille% &he 'rench student who participates in the exchange with me is (hristian% &his early experience was certainly at the root of my curiosity to learn more about European neighbours and since that &ime I have not ceased loo$ing beyond the borders of the 'ederal )epublic of *ermany and attempting to feel at home everywhere in Europe% I always remember the happy moments spent at the home of (hristian on the outs$irts of "arseille and on +endor! a small "editerranean island off +andol! where we were invited by ,aul )icard! the 'rench manufacturer of ,astis% I also remember an episode where a *erman student and I! we both went out at sea from +endor on a very small sailboat% When we were leaving the port! the wind suddenly started to gain strength% -t this moment my teammate was panic$ing and cowered against the bottom of the boat% .uite obviously! I couldn/t count on him to bring the excursion to a good end% I then had to ma$e full use of

all my sailing abilities! which were clearly not colossal% +ut we came out of that adventure unscathed% -s my European curiosity was clearly not satisfied! I too$ my bicycle during the summer holidays of the next two years and bi$ed through the +enelux 0tates and then 1enmar$ and 0weden% I clearly remember how one day! in the 2etherlands I could not reach the youth hostel before 13 o/cloc$ and then made myself comfortable in a sleeping bag in the ditch beside the road! when some policemen came over and told me in perfect *erman that I could not spend the night here% &hey too$ me to the police station and offered me a prison cell for the night! which I found actually great% Only the next morning! as after awa$ening the cell stayed closed! I had some 4itters% +ut after an hour the cell was opened and I could freely continue my bi$e tour% -t that time! as probably even today! cycling in the 2etherlands was the most natural thing in the world% &he memory from 5uxembourg is twofold: on one side the capital with the same name as the country! dominated by an impressive (astle and the exceptionally beautiful hills and mountains! which the cyclist addresses with due respect% 1enmar$! despite its flat topography! seemed less tiny as it appeared on the map after having bi$ed for several days all the way from south to north% -nd then there were all these many islands that lend the country its special character% In 0weden! the *reat 5a$es in the 0outh of the country made an enormous impression on me% 6ou can pedal alongside the same 5a$e for hours and hours and there is no end in sight% -t that time! many roads in 0weden were 4ust dirt roads that were sprayed with a tarry substance! and in particular in mountainous forest areas bi$ing became thus not so easy% In these regions you could bi$e for hours and hours without encountering another soul% -t the time I was accompanied by my almost one year younger 7ncle ,eter% On these bi$e tours it has become clear to me 8 beyond the usual scholarly wisdom 8 what it means to belong to a family of languages% -s we $now! all those peoples that today belong to the *ermanic9language spea$ing area have a common root% -nd you cannot but notice even today the linguistic affinities% &he term :nation; thus becomes somewhat problematic% 'or example 1enmar$ did not conceive itself from the outset as a nation% It has become a nation only after having become a <ingdom and actually only after the 'rench )evolution when it became fashion to define the country as a nation% &he 0lavic language family has its roots also in a family of peoples and the emergence of a ,olish or (=ech nation was not straightforward either% &he provinces of )oman9 spea$ing people are an exception in this respect% #ere! it is not the root of a family of peoples that led to a common root of languages! but the sphere of influence of the )oman Empire% &herefore! regarding the concept of :nation;! two fundamentally different visions are colliding in Europe% In countries of the )oman language family there are often various ethnics under one roof and still one nation above them all! such as in 'rance and 0pain% In countries of 0lavic and *ermanic language families! this is not generally the case% #ere we have originally a more homogeneous group of people as the basis for the nation% &his 1ifference explains! of course! why a pan90lavic and a pan9 *ermanic movement could emerge! while a similar movement within the spheres of influence of the )oman language family could not% 8 -fter it too$ so much effort and suffering for the 2ations to emerge! can we today overcome them again in the name of a truly European 7nion> Where today is the national sentiment stronger: in the *ermanic and 0lavic9spea$ing world or in the )oman spea$ing world> I tend to believe that ?especially@ the 'rench would have more of a problem with a true European 7nion than for example the *ermans% Of course also countries such as the 2etherlands or 0weden have their concerns with the European 7nion! but on a different level% We should not forget either that *ermany needs Europe% 7ntil the advent of the +ismarc$ )eich! in 1 A3! *ermans were scattered all over Europe in counties! duchies! the &eutonic Order! $ingdoms! an

1J

empire! etc% and had no nation of their own% *ermany does therefore not have a lot of experience for $nowing how to behave as a sovereign and powerful nation and does still not wish to learn these :s$ills; even if she were forced to% +eing in a situation where she finds herself giving lessons to other countries does not ma$e her happy% - 'ederation would spare her this apprenticeship%

&ack to the political agenda- A fe# years later, in 1BDJ, 6reat &ritain, together #ith Austria, @enmark, ,or#ay, S#eden, $ortugal and S#it+erland, founded the European 7ree Trade Association GE7TAH, thus creating a !ague and geographically fragmented association. This #as done in order to create a counter#eight to the treaties of "ome, since the U: #as not prepared to gi!e up parts of its so!ereignty. &ut in 1BI3 6reat &ritain, @enmark and (reland 1oin the European 4ommunity and this association begins to crumble. (n ?anuary 1BD3, an additional pillar of the European Economic 4ommunity, intended for a broader political cooperation, #as erected- the 7ranco*6erman Treaty Galso called the ElysLe TreatyH, signed by 4onrad Adenauer and 4harles de 6aulle Greading it today is #orth the #hileH. The friendly cooperation bet#een 7rance and the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany has subse2uently e!ol!ed to become a po#erful and !ital engine of the European 4ommunity, #ithout #hich the E4 #ould not al#ays #ork. (n the first t#o or three decades of the post*#ar period this e!olution to#ards greater cooperation bet#een European nations is e/tremely #elcomed by a large part of the population of EE4 countries, and it is associated #ith the hope of a greater integration of the 8ember States of the community #ithin a real Union. $eople look beyond national borders and #ant to get closer to the citi+ens in neighbouring countries. hy in hea!en should borders separate people' The #orld outside the EE4 also follo#s this de!elopment #ith great interest Glater, the EE4 finds follo#ers such as 8E"4)SU", ASEA,, ,A7TA, 4A48, etc.H. The introduction of a European passport that #ould allo# citi+ens to mo!e freely in the EE4 is already surreptitiously e/pected. (nitially, the 6o!ernments of the 8ember States of the EE4 ad!ance together in the same direction. The integration of institutions of the ne# economic +one, #hich #ill soon be merged to gi!e birth to the E4, is progressing. Tariffs in the community are disappearing, people can tra!el in other 8ember States #ithout needing a !isa, and border controls are alle!iated. Moung people #ant to kno# more about neighbouring countries, 7rench and (talian cars are no# present on 6erman roads and !ice !ersa, etc. To make a long story short, a li!ely e/change bet#een people as #ell as goods of the European 4ommunity takes place and the curiosity of young people contributes significantly to the rapprochement of the European countries. This is ho# the European dream began. 7or ho# long can dream and reality go hand in hand' hat did politicians do to keep this dream ali!e and #here did they fail' hat are the other highlights of Europe and #hat are its ma1or omissions' hen #as it that the dream and the reality began to go in different directions and the dream e!entually burst' To e/amine this 2uestion, one !ersion of this dream is narrated on the follo#ing pages. To some, it may today appear as utopian, but it could ha!e been realised in the post*#ar period, because a gro#ing desire for such a course of history e/isted at the time. Unfortunately, politicians ha!e not sufficiently perse!ered in the systematic pursuit and realisation of the European idea. )nce again the 2uestion- (s Europe already in shambles, i.e. in a de!astating situation #ithout a possible #ay out' )r is there still a chance' 11

12

Chapter 2 : The European Dream

Introduction
7rom todayFs point of !ie#, the Europe of 7atherlands G8ichel @ebrLH or States G4harles de 6aulleH, or also of ,ations #as a conceptual error, e!en though at the time one could not ha!e done other#ise * national structures and #ays of thinking #ere simply too deeply embedded in e!eryday life and culture to o!ercome them in the short term. Unfortunately, as a conse2uence of this conceptual error, it happened that after a good start, national interests reclaimed an e!er more prominent place and all 8ember States 1ealously defended their so!ereignty, rather than seeking common interests and putting in place the ade2uate structures and la#s in a truly European spirit. AThe Europe of 7atherlandsA and an Ne!er closer political UnionF are incompatible concepts. Saying that #e #ant an e!er closer political Union of ,ations is really an o/ymoron or at least a parado/. The t#o concepts are indeed irreconcilable. )n the other hand, in order to a!oid that citi+ens feel lost in the ne# Europe, the talk about 7atherlands is someho# reassuring. .o#e!er, it #ould ha!e been preferable to call the ne# Europe the ;,e# .ome=, thus allo#ing Europeans to keep their traditional ties to their cultures and regions. This is also the reason #hy the regions, #here people feel more at home than in the ;7atherland=, should be gi!en greater importance. &ut #ith 4harles de 6aulle and his !ision for 7rance, #hich foresa# the resurrection of the A6reat ,ationA, this #as probably not possible then. .o#e!er, at the time, the citi+ens of most of the first si/ member States of the European Economic 4ommunity #ere 2uite #illing to integrate more strongly in this ne# 4ommunity and in particular those of the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany. 7urthermore, the A4ommon Agricultural $olicyA had been intended as a dri!ing force for the integration of the countries into the EE4. Unfortunately, it did not #ork, because the differences bet#een the agricultural practices in the !arious countries of the community #ere too large to find a common denominator. The community #as immediately di!ided into recipients and donors of agricultural subsidies, #hich naturally promoted the animosities bet#een the members rather than reducing them. hat is it that should #e ha!e done differently to gi!e a strong impetus to the European idea and to make sure it remains anchored in the minds of Europeans Gat first for the community of si/H' .o# could #e ha!e aroused enthusiasm for this idea in the broader population and then maintain this flame' (n a latent, dormant manner, this enthusiasm has surely been there from the beginning. (n my opinion, the ans#er is nearby- it is not the regulation of agricultural products such as the degree of cur!ature of the cucumber or the measures of tomatoes and apples, or e!en guidelines for pri!ati+ation of the rail#ay, the post office, and #ater and electricity ser!ices or competition rules, etc. #hich arouse enthusiasm for Europe. hat could be better suited to fill the European idea #ith life than the creation of truly European institutions, organi+ations, companies and ser!ices close to the citi+ens and ultimate users'

13

#he dream%
Among many 6o!ernments of est*European 4ountries the idea pre!ails, that after the Second orld ar, Europe cannot play an important role in the #orld in any other #ay than being united and therefore strong. Europe can only ha!e a #eight in a conflict*laden #orld, #hen it speaks #ith one !oice. This !oice #ill be carrying a conciliatory message for a global community that aspires to peace and prosperity. (t #ill be respected as a fair mediator in conflicts, and it #ill be heard in the search for solutions to global problems such as the energy crisis, shortage of ra# materials, feeding a gro#ing population, pollution in the broadest sense, climate change, etc. To support this idea and get the populations of the concerned European States on the European track, the follo#ing scenario is concei!ableStimulated by the European idea, the si/ founding States G7ederal "epublic of 6ermany, &enelu/, (taly, 7ranceH sign the treaties of "ome and thereby seal a cooperation agreement. The 8ember States and, later, since 1BDI, the European 4ommission, then seek to transform e/isting institutions, organisations and public ser!ices to craft truly European bodies. &y this measure, ubi2uitous European symbols are created, reminding Europeans that Europe is ine/orably turning to#ards a promising common future. (t is first and foremost public enterprises and public ser!ices such as the post office, Telecom Gthen still being part of the post officesH, rail#ays, utilities, TO channels Gsuch as the 7ranco*6erman ;Arte= channelH and many others. Through these measures, citi+ens in the European 4ommunity #ill gradually de!elop a sense of belonging to a family of peoples that #ill increasingly form a large community beyond the ,ations. At the same time, the 6o!ernments of the 8ember States demonstrate that they fully support this idea. 7urthermore, in order to strengthen the feeling of belonging to a European family, first inter*state structures and later federal structures as #ell as other systems to facilitate the coe/istence and cooperation of the peoples of the European Union are created. &ere the schedule of events and actions which lead to the creation of the 'nited (tates of Europe% 1BD>- 8erging of the national postal ser!ices into a European postal ser!ice, the Euromail. 1BDD*DI- Separation of the telephone ser!ices from Euromail and in 1BDI creation of a European telecom, the Eurocom. 1BIJ- 8erger of the national rail#ays to gi!e birth to the Eurotrain. 1BIJ- 4reation of se!eral European tele!ision channels. 1BI1- 8erging of the national utilities in the energy sector into a large European federation of electricity utilities and a large European federation of natural gas utilities #ith a mi/ed pri!ate*public structure. 7or no#, the close relations bet#een gas and electric utilities are maintained in those countries #here they e/ist. Standard tariffs #ill be introduced gradually throughout the European 4ommunity. "egarding the #ater companies, a similar model is under consideration. 1BI2- )ptional introduction of a truly European passport in the 8ember States of the European 4ommunity 1BI2*1BC1- (ntroduction of the direct election of European 8embers of $arliament and planning of the direct election of the $resident of the 4ommission for 1BC1. 1BI3- Accession of @enmark and (reland to the European 4ommunity 1BII- 4oordination and e2ui!alence of uni!ersity courses, diplomas, and fees in all E4 countries and promotion of studies in neighbouring E4 countries. 10

1BIB- Establishment of a unified financial system and an E4*#ide super!isory organi+ation to coordinate national budgets, #ith some financial compensation bet#een rich and poor countries. 1BCJ- "e!ision of the rules for banking super!ision. 1BC1- @irect election of the $resident of the European 4ommission 1BC1- Accession of 6reece to the European 4ommunity 1BC1- The United :ingdom decides definiti!ely not to 1oin the European 4ommunity 1BC2- 8erger of the national defence organisations into a European army #ith general military ser!ice compulsory for one year. 1BC3- Establishment of the 4entral European &ank and the introduction of the Euro 1BC0- 4ommon immigration policy for all 8ember States 1BC>- 8erger of the 8ember States of the E4 into a 7ederal Union- the United States of Europe GUSEH5 direct election of the European $resident5 abolition of the European 4ommission to become the go!ernment5 the European passport becomes standard. 1BCD- At the beginning of the year- strengthening the role of ci!il society through participatory democracy 1BCD- Accession of $ortugal and Spain5 USE football team for 8e/ico 1BCI- Admission of the USE as a permanent member of the Security 4ouncil of the United ,ations instead of 7rance 1BCC- Accession of the 6@" and unification #ith the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany, already 8ember of the USE5 USE )lympic teams for Seoul. 1BCB- @efinition of the future of Europe #ithin its possible borders- #here #ould Europe stop politically and geographically' hich countries can still become members of the USE' 1BB>- Accession of Austria, 7inland, S#eden, ,or#ay and Turkey 1BBD- The USE decides the construction of a lunar station #ith the establishment of the first module in 2JJ2 1BBI- Establishment of a uniform retirement system 1BBC- Establishment of a uniform ta/ system 1BBB- Establishment of a central stock e/change in Europe based in $aris and follo#ing a set of ethical rules 2JJJ- Accession of the 4+ech "epublic, the Slo!ak "epublic, .ungary, $oland and Slo!enia. 2JJ1- Amendment of the 4onstitution to gi!e more #eight to the regions. 2JJ2- (ntroduction of the Euro and inauguration of the first module of a lunar base. 2JJ3- "eplacement of compulsory military ser!ice by a professional army. 2JJ0- Accession of Estonia, 9at!ia, 9ithuania, 4yprus and 8alta 2JJD- Accession of 4roatia, 8acedonia, 8ontenegro, Serbia and :oso!o 2JJC- Accession of &ulgaria, "omania and Albania ********************** #he plan will be implemented as a truthful reflection of the dream%

1>

.i! t pha e( &!eation of /,bol fo! a United E$!ope

)reface% The 4ommon Agricultural $olicy, concei!ed as a means of integration of the EE4, has pro!ed counterproducti!e. @ifferences in producti!ity in the !arious countries are too large for an indisputable success. After intense consultations bet#een members of the EE4, it is therefore agreed that a progressi!e model #ith a differentiated and lo#er subsidy le!el and a complete remo!al or at least a substantial reduction of these subsidies o!er a decade should be adopted. .o#e!er, in order to impro!e their agricultural producti!ity, ne#comers to the 4ommunity are initially granted higher subsidies than the older 8ember States. 8oreo!er, subsidised agricultural products should not flood the #orld market, and in particular not cause difficulties for de!eloping countries, especially in Africa. After the failure of the EE4 4ommon Agricultural $olicy as a means of European integration, ne# #ays of promoting the European idea must be found. $oliticians realise that #e need European symbols that people can identify #ith. (n order to achie!e real buy*in from EE4 citi+ens, they agree to rapidly create such symbols. This section describes that process. ********************** )nly a fe# years after the foundation of the European Economic 4ommunity, it is clear that, if Europe #ants to make its !oice heard in the concert of #orld politics, it must be more than 1ust an economic community. The founding fathers had already pointed this out. This is particularly e!ident #hen looking at the periods of the Oiet ,am #ar G1BD0PD>*1BI3H and the Algerian #ar G1B>0*1BD2H, #here EuropeAs !oice remained nearly inaudible. E!en during the later (ra2i #ar starting in 2JJ3, the situation is not much better. There are lots of issues unresol!ed until today and certainly beyond. The total absence of EuropeFs !oice during the Syrian ci!il #ar, #hich has already claimed around hundred thousand !ictims, is a disaster. .o#e!er, if the European idea #ere to become a reality, strong symbols, highlighting the fact that the citi+ens of this community belong to the same single entity, are re2uired. 4onse2uently, the 6o!ernments of the 8ember States are preparing to create such symbols. The symbols mentioned here, should not take the form of additional bureaucracies, #hich #ould only result in further administrati!e complications. They should be embodied in institutions or enterprises, #hich operate across the entire territory of the European 4ommunity and #hich are gi!en the task of facilitating contact bet#een citi+ens in neighbouring countries, or e!en make that contact possible in the first place. hene!er the ser!ice of such company or enterprise is sought, the users automatically take note that #e li!e in a larger community than the national one and that the citi+ens in neighbouring countries #ithin the European 4ommunity are part of our community. Oery 2uickly it is recognised that there is hardly anything better suited for a first e/perience in this sense than the national postal ser!ices in the EE4 8ember States. @uring the early years of the EE4, citi+ens still ha!e close and fre2uent contacts #ith these national ser!ices. S8S and email #ith documents attached, etc., for #hich no physical postal ser!ice is necessary, do not yet e/ist. Similarly, the trend to#ards the pri!atisation of national companies is not yet a topical issue, and as a result, the pri!ate sector has no ob1ection to using the postal ser!ices as a tool for promoting European unity.

1D

(n 1BD>, the different national postal ser!ices are united under one European roof and thus merged into a European mailing operation, the E$!o,ail. 9ittle by little, this institution, presenting itself as an integral part of the EE4 and stri!ing to offer its customers the best and most efficient ser!ice possible, is percei!ed as a truly European ser!ice pro!ider, #hich people are proud of. 8aps of the EE4 are e!ery#here in the Euromail offices, #hich significantly strengthens the impression that #e are dealing #ith a truly European institution. (nitially this does not affect in any #ay * and later on only marginally * the #ay postal ser!ice companies organise before and after the merger. The shipment of parcels and letters is done as before using the same accounting system, e/cept that the stamps are no# European. The intended effect is first of all that of a strong European bond, but also a considerable impro!ement of the ser!ices offered across national borders. 7or EuropeFs citi+ens, Euromail succeeds in bringing the European regions together. 9etters and parcels do not come from 7rance or (taly and so on, but from parts of the European 4ommunity. A year later, a single rate for each category of #eight for letters and parcels is implemented for the European 4ommunity. ,o# there are e!ery#here stamps #ith motifs from all 8ember States and regions Gbut real and not synthetic images of ob1ects or figuresH and they are !alid any#here in the EE4. 7or stamp collectors additional collections are issued. Europe begins to li!e K at least in the post offices * and, in the 1BDJs, people are still fre2uently going to the post office. 7urthermore, the mail man comes to their home almost e!ery day. hat could therefore be better suited to bringing the European idea to the people' E!en sceptics #ill no# find something appealing in this idea.
In 19B5! I am C1 years old and thus of legal age% I have 4ust done my military service ?first in a unit eDuipped with small reconnaissance aircraft! then in a medical company@ and begin my studies at the &echnical 7niversity of +erlin! not to escape military serviceC! which I/ve 4ust behind me! but to experience first hand the reality of the European (ommunity and its bearing on the East% Initially! I register for metallurgy! and later geology% 1uring the first summer holiday I feel the urge to see the great wide world and get myself hired as a cabin boy by the #apag shipping company for a trip to the (aribbean 0ea% &he ship I am embar$ing on! the (hristiana ,i$urit=! is a freighter% -t that time! cargo ships are still real ships and not the C1st century container ships! which do not even allow their crews to go ashore when they are in port for loading or off9 loading% 1uring the -tlantic crossing! the giant ship engine fails and during one night we are at the mercy of the waves% 'ortunately that night the sea is relatively calm and no further complications occur% In (olombia! Eene=uela! &rinidad! and (osta )ica I see for the first time tropical landscapes% In &rinidad! I find myself for the first time amidst a blac$ population and find that very exciting% &he way of life of these populations appears to me as completely different from what one sees in Europe 9 people are much more open! happy! relaxed% In 2ew Orleans! #urricane +etsy surprises us% It is the first big #urricane causing damage of more than 1 billion F 70 ?in F of 19B5@% If you do not want to be $noc$ed over by the storm! you need to lean against it at about G3H% Eessels pluc$ed from the opposite doc$ bump against ours and plant a large hole in the rear of our cargo% &he positive aspect of this event: we stay in 2ew Orleans for about a wee$ to repair the hole and I have the possibility to meanwhile visit the city% -t that time! there are still original blac$ 4a== orchestras in 2ew Orleans! particularly at the ,reservation #all! which I am also visiting% What impresses me most is the advanced age of the blac$ 4a== men% +ac$ in West +erlin! the EE( means a lot more to me than 4ust a common economy for six countries% Even in this /city island/! one reali=es that something is moving! and Euromail sends the appropriate signal for me and for a large part of the population%
2

At that time !oung people moving to "est-#erlin are relieved o$ their militar! service.

1I

*overnments tell us that they are serious about Europe% &hey want to convince us that this is the right way and we are receptive to this signal%

The initiati!e turns out to be a huge success for the European idea, #hich becomes more and more attracti!e. 8ore and more citi+ens, young and old, are delighted #ith the prospect of a G esternH Europe #ithout borders and to li!e under the same la#s in all of that Europe #ithin a fe# years. e #ant to see the efforts in this direction intensified and, at the right time, open Europe to our neighbours as #ell. $erhaps, this Europe may open its doors one day to the countries of Eastern Europe, currently kno#n as USS" satellite States. (n any case, li!ing in est &erlin, one cannot but reali+e the phenomenal psychological impact that the EE4 and the underlying idea has on Eastern Europeans. )nce the highly symbolic !alue of this action is clearly recogni+ed, it becomes imperati!e to seek other potential targets #ith #hich something similar could be achie!ed. (t turns out that in recent years the telephone ser!ice, #hich in many countries is still part of the post office, has substantially gained in importance. (n order to proceed in the same #ay as for the mail ser!ice, ne# structures permitting to disconnect this ser!ice from Euromail and then putting in place a European Telecom, the E$!oco,, are 2uickly created. (n 1BDD the separation of the telephone ser!ice from Euromail is initiated, and a year later Eurocom is launched. ith the e/ception of the 1ust mentioned separation of the telephone ser!ice from Euromail, no ma1or restructuring is currently needed and the ne# rates that are !alid in all EE4 States are introduced #ithin a year. (n order to enable the ne# Eurocom impro!ing its ser!ices and offering these at lo#er prices, significant funds are in!ested in research and de!elopment G" Q @H to generate the ne# communication technologies needed for this upgrading. This strategy allo#s Eurocom to become the most modern Telecom in the #orld and the citi+ens of the 8ember States of the EE4 ha!e one more reason to be proud of their European 4ommunity and feel the bonds to this community further strengthened. 7or many, the European 4ommunity and #hat it promises to become has turned into a lo!e affaire or at least it finds a place in their heart5 and this all the more #hen it is so ob!ious that politicians #holeheartedly stri!e to further ad!ance Europe #ith the intention of creating a common home for all its citi+ens. $eople feel the enthusiasm of their politicians, #ho engage #ith and for their peoples for the European cause. ;Europe= has become attracti!e not only for the population of the EE4 but also for entire peoples still outside of this community. Through this additional and single*mindedly implemented step in the European direction, undertaken by the EE4 8ember States, an important further building stone of Europe is added to the edifice * and not only in the imagination of citi+ens but also and abo!e all in practical terms, on the ground. Europe becomes tangible and a politically United Europe becomes more and more a possible reality. est &erlin, #here ( am still a student, is no longer as insular as in the first years after the construction of the #all in 1BD1, although the 6@" go!ernment is trying hard to defend its model by all means and continues to demarcate itself from the est. 7inally, it fails to con!ince its citi+ens of the 2uality of its model and little by little the relations bet#een the t#o 6erman States impro!e, especially during the era of illy &randt, since 1BDB. (t is actually a historic chance that the efforts of one man, illy &randt, for reconciliation bet#een East and est, coincide #ith the progress to#ards a community of the European $eoples, organi+ed into a political federation, #hich, one day, must become a genuine Union. This magnificent de!elopment depri!es the 6@" regime of its legitimacy.

1C

(n 1BDI, the three original institutions of the economic community, i.e. the E4S4 GEuropean 4oal and Steel 4ommunityH, the EE4 and EU"AT)8 merge to gi!e birth to the European 4ommunity, #hich means, at least according to the ne# term, a political rather than a purely economic community. All possibilities for continuing the political integration remain open.
-lso in 19BA! I move for one year to ,aris to continue my geological studies at university% -t first! I register for the venerable 0orbonne 7niversity in the 5atin .uarter! where I am feeling at ease! and ta$e up Duarters in a very small room ?I13mC@ on the sixth floor at the rue des Jcoles! almost opposite the 7niversity% +ut I discover Duic$ly that with the chosen field of study! historical geology! I shall not be able to accomplish much in the real professional world and therefore! a little later! I change over to the 'aculty of 0ciences ?'acultK des 0ciences! Lussieu@ to study applied geology% -t the Jcole des "ines ?0chool of "ines@! where I also tried to register! I am told to come bac$ a few years later to write my ,h1 thesis! please% 'urthermore! as the room in the rue des Jcoles is too expensive! I decide to move to 2euilly! a plush suburb of ,aris! where I occupy a room under the roof of a beautiful #aussmannian building% 'or me! ta$ing the road to ,aris to change country and university for cultural enrichment and gathering of experience is Duite normal at the time! even if this is not necessarily affordable for all students! since Erasmus did not yet exist% -t this time! the younger *erman population feels attracted to 'rance% 'or us! the words M5ibertK! 'raternitK! EgalitKM are still magic and we would li$e to see this ideal spread across the whole new Europe% &he same also applies to ,olish youths! who are also every now and then seen in ,aris! but for whom it is much more difficult to get to 'rance% In addition you can already see a number of students from other neighbouring countries registering for one or two years at a university of the community of 0ix and then return with an additional certificate or diploma% &he 0tate of mind among many young people is in fact already very positive about the European idea and so young people leave more freDuently for neighbouring European countries% &he European institutions and public service organisations! which! here and there! more and more dominate the public landscape! contribute enormously to :Europe; becoming little by little a reality for citi=ens% In ,aris I meet a young 'rench woman of (aribbean origin! -nnette 0opinor ?for me -nnie@! who later becomes my wife% Once again! a European element is added! even if it is on a very small scale! i%e% that of the individuals% "any small steps can add up to a big one and it is essential that Europe is also progressed through private action%

(n 8ay 1BDC, $aris is in turmoil. The student re!olt Gin 7rance it is later referred to as revolutionH breaks out and spreads throughout Europe like a bonfire. )nce again #e ha!e a European phenomenon. The opinion of young people is not only hostile to the authority #ith the aspiration for more freedom for the indi!idual Glater described as Ase/ual re!olutionAH and against the consumer society, but also pro*European, accompanied by impatience. 7or students and a part of the ArestA of the population, Europe mo!es much too slo#ly G%H. This beautiful episode in $aris #ill remain engra!ed in my memory. $eople are accessible and open to the need for a change in society. The structures are too ossified and the image of the A6reat ,ationA, as 4harles de 6aulle #anted to apply to 7rance after the Second orld ar G#hich, at the time, has no doubt facilitated the ne# beginning for 7rance after the 6erman occupationH is an image that todayFs students no longer really appreciate. The #orld has changed for 7rance as #ell as for Europe. Moung people, especially students, #ant a 7rance that speaks to them and #hy not also a Europe that speaks and opens its arms to them. $oliticians #ith the courage to mo!e society in the direction of greater openness and a united Europe are today in demand. e must not let this opportunity pass by unused.

1B

1espite the above described developments! I pass my exam in applied geology at the 'aculty of 0ciences and I get my /licence /% Without this certificate! I would of course run into difficulties regarding the extension of my scholarship%

The ;chaos= of 8ai 1BDC isnFt limited to 7rance. Similarly, in 6ermany, the United States and (taly #e see phenomena that are directly inspired by #hat happens in $aris. At the same time, a fresh bree+e blo#s through the So!iet 4ommunist bloc that finds its concrete e/pression in the $rague Spring. 7or many people, there is great hope and they begin to belie!e in a model of communism #ith a human face. 7or a #hile, it e!en seems that this mo!ement might be successful. Unfortunately, the infle/ible 9eonid &re+hne! keeps the reins of po#er in the So!iet Union, and the $rague Spring is silenced by the So!iet military a fe# months later. 7ortunately, this reaction does not come as brutally as one might ha!e feared. "egarding the good relationship #ith the no# much admired E4, the So!iet Union is eager not to appear as utterly !iolent. Unfortunately, since 1BD0, ,ikita :hrushche! is no longer Secretary 6eneral of the USS". Under his rule, the response to the $rague uprising #ould ha!e been probable e!en more moderate. .e had already initiated a number of #elcomed reforms. Under 9eonid &re+hne!, the political structures are again becoming EossifiedE. ,e!ertheless, the prospect of an end to the cold #ar becomes e!er more palpable, e!en though the USS" is once again sending conflicting signals. The European Union has become one of her truly important partners and it is impossible for her to completely ignore the E4Fs concerns. 8oreo!er, the So!iet Union is no longer fully immuni+ed against internal and international public opinion as #ell as at her ;allies= GsatellitesH. (n April 1BDC, "udi @utschke becomes !ictim of an assassination attempt, but sur!i!es despite !ery serious brain damage. .e is a !ery committed man. Throughout his life he is looking for a model located some#here bet#een So!iet 4ommunism and American capitalism. 8any intellectuals support him, among them the former president of the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany, 6usta! .einemann. Met, the established political po#er and the representati!es of the economy fight him fiercely. The media, in particular the A/el Springer press #ith its &ild 3eitung ne#spaper, also denigrate him. A/el Springer can be regarded as the 6erman counterpart of "upert 8urdoch- conser!ati!e and aimed at pleasing and at the same time influencing the masses for political purposes. @aniel 4ohn*&endit, #ho in 1BDC, studies at the Uni!ersity of ,anterre, near $aris, has kno#n "udi @utschke. @aniel meets him a fe# #eeks before the assassination attempt in &erlin. This incident moti!ates @aniel to politically acti!ate students at ,anterre. There is certainly a sort of rage in him against the political establishment that has tolerated the hate campaigns that ha!e led to this tragedy. hen the 8ay e!ents play out, @aniel 4ohn*&endit, the presumed instigator of the re!olt, is e/pelled from 7rance. The 7rench 6o!ernment belie!es to ha!e landed a cle!er coup against the Nstudent re!oltF. Similarly to "udi @utschke, @aniel 4ohn*&endid calls for a more human political and economic model. .e is not a 4ommunist. 9ater, he enlists for the 6reen cause and in 1BB0 he 1oins the 6reens in the European $arliament.
1uring the fall of 19B ! I resume my studies at the 5udwig "aximilian 7niversity in "unich% We! i%e% -nnie and I! live in 0chwabingen% -t this time! "unich is a very friendly city for students and the student Duarter of "unich is indeed part of 0chwabingen! which! before the two World Wars! was the +ohemian and artistsN Duarter of "unich% 'or example! the association of painters M+lauer )eiterM ?blue rider@ was established here between 1911 and 191O% In the 19B3s and 19A3s! one would not only come here to study! but also to have fun% &here are many student pubs where there is

2J

good drin$ing and chatting% In addition there are! at this time! still -merican garrisons stationed in "unich that maintain nightclubs in which excellent music bands perform and where you can still dance to /0lows/ ?considered old9fashioned in the C1st century@% I remember very well the M+irdlandM! primarily visited by -fro9-mericans! in the <irchenstraPe! #aidhausen district of "unich% &here you find a really cra=y but pleasant atmosphere% "oreover! at this time! the musical /#air/ is performed in "unich% 1onna 0ummer also lives in "unich% In 19B9! -nnie and I get married% 0ince 19A3! we ta$e the "Eurotrain" to get from "unich to ,aris and thus remain in contact with the parents9in9 law%

Mou can also take the Eurotrain to get from .amburg to $aris and 8unich and !ice !ersa. The trip in both directions lasts about > hours. hat a feat% Tra!ellers can appreciate the passing* by of landscapes, !illages, cities and castles during this fi!e*hours*tra!el by train instead of lying stretched out all night on a hard couchette #ithout really closing eyes. Especially in #inter #hen roads are often co!ered #ith sno#, or #hen there is ice on the road, this train is really a blessing% 7ortunately, at this time, almost nobody thinks about pri!atising the rail#ay. (magine the stupidity that pri!atisation #ould ha!e been% Subse2uently, an ambitious programme of research and technological de!elopment in the rail#ay area is promoted and supported in order to de!elop !ery ad!anced and e!en pioneering technical systems, #ith #hich Europe can take a leading position on the #orld market. The merger of the national rail#ays in a European operation has not been 2uite as easy as the national $ost*offices or Telecoms. .ere #e had to o!ercome ma1or resistances at national rail companies and their staff. 7ortunately, but also surprisingly, politicians remained de!oted and attached to the idea that Europe must become more and more attracti!e for its citi+ens. They are no# almost intuiti!ely using symbols that Eha!e a daily impactE on the li!es of the citi+ens to further connect the population #ith the European idea. The spirit of the founding fathers is al#ays present and has lost none of its force. @isputes are resol!ed by mutual persuasion in constructi!e discussions and in the end the good #ill al#ays #ins. $oliticians ha!e traced the route for the rail#ay and the organi+ations ha!e follo#ed this route. 7or the rail#ay it is of course not simply a 2uestion of transporting people, letters, parcels and goods, or of establishing rail links bet#een cities in different countries, but rather of real integration of national organisations. 7or e/ample, staff in the rail#ay sector should not be e/changed at each border, but should remain #ith the train until the trainFs final destination if the distance from departure to that final destination does not e/ceed 1JJJ km. 7or e/ample, for the tra!el distance bet#een $aris and .amburg, that #ould be more than reasonable. .o#e!er, for the tra!el distance bet#een &ordeau/ and &erlin such an arrangement #ould probably no longer be feasible. The prere2uisite for the maintenance of the staff on the train #ould be that the staff can make itself understood in t#o or three languages. (t #ill also be necessary to build a net#ork of hotels or hostels for rail#ay staff. "ail#ays, !oltages at the catenaries and A4 fre2uencies must be standardised, or else #e need to de!elop methods that allo# the electric locomoti!es to adapt from one system to another #ithout re2uiring them to be replaced. 7ortunately, for o!er one hundred years, rail gauge, i.e. the distance bet#een rail tracks, is standardi+ed to 103> mm in the current 8ember States of the E4. (tFll probably still take a fe# years until the system runs perfectly smoothly and that there are no longer e/tended stops and stays at the borders. &ut technological progress #ill soon contribute to sol!ing these problems so that #e shall ha!e a #ell managed European rail#ay system #ith #ell maintained schedules and all trains arri!ing and departing on time. .a!ing achie!ed that, a rail#ay trip in the European 4ommunity #ith the (4 or T6O train becomes a real pleasure5 the distances shrink and the cities mo!e closer to each other. (n the #aiting rooms 21

throughout the European rail net#ork #e find rail#ay maps of the entire E4 rail#ay net#ork. )ne sees immediately that the rail#ay ser!ice company thinks of itself as a cross*border ser!ice and no# the ma1or a/es such as ,antes * &erlin or Stuttgart * 8arseilles or $aris * "ome are being etched into peopleFs memories. 9ogically, the ne/t big thing #ould be to merge the national airlines of the European 4ommunity into a single European company, the ;EuroAir=. .o#e!er, #hen it #as already not so easy to unite all national rail#ay companies under the same roof, it turns out that it is still much more difficult #hen it comes to the national airlines, e!en though the technical difficulties are fe#er. Attaching the national airlines to a European company is one step too much for most 6o!ernments of the E4. Air 7rance, Alitalia, 9ufthansa, :98, Sabena, are the pride of the ,ations. They are therefore not Gyet'H ready to #ai!e these symbols. This is e/tremely regrettable, because it sho#s that ,ations again and again tend to hide behind their o#n priorities and ha!e a propensity to delay decisions if an agreement is not possible in the short term. (n order not to appear too back#ards looking, it is agreed to found a ne# small pri!ate company, the AEuropean AirlinesA, #hich includes some lo#*acti!ity routes inside and outside Europe. As relations #ith the So!iet Union are rela/ing slo#ly but surely, this ne# AneutralA air company is authorised to ser!e est &erlin from $aris, "ome, Amsterdam, &russels, .amburg, 7rankfurt and 8unich, and this at first once a #eek and later more often. After all, this embryonic company has, at least theoretically, the potential to become the great ;EuroAir=. (f it #ill reali+e this potential one day depends, ho#e!er, on the in!estors and its ability to take ad!antage of the trend for companies to operate at the European le!el. e li!e all these positi!e changes in the European 4ommunity as something 2uite natural and normal. .o# could it be other#ise #hen the politicians ha!e promised us to create a Europe #ith the appropriate structures necessary for it to be functional' Through all these achie!ements during recent years, life has become much easier for us and #e feel e!ery#here at home in the Europe of the Si/. The ne# European ser!ice companies offer ser!ices that #ork #ell, are #orth their price, and are seen as being customer*focused. This has happened, in part, because it has been recogni+ed early on that, in order to achie!e customer satisfaction, bureaucracy must be reduced to a minimum. Employees learn early on, that fast, friendly and competent treatment results in ;happy= customers and is therefore in the interests of the employees themsel!es, #hom the customer #ill no longer accuse of being slo# and inefficient. 4iti+ens therefore percei!e the EU as un*bureaucratic and de!oted to its citi+ens. The European idea is on its #ay to materiali+e and it :o!; < Soon, neighbouring countries clearly recogni+e the ad!antage of the European 4ommunity and #ould like to 1oin her as soon as possible. E!en the European press, #ith the e/ception of the &ritish press, is con!inced of the European idea and supporti!e articles about Europe contribute to positi!ely anchor the idea in the public opinion. here the press remains sceptical, 1ournalists are in!ited for political debates together #ith politicians and other public figures to measure their scepticism on #hat is already achie!ed, #hat is already planned, and #hat remains to be done. 8ost of the time, the result is more than satisfactory, and NEuropeF #ins a fe# more friends. )nly diehard sceptics are not con!inced. As these, little by little, become a tiny minority, they no longer represent an obstacle for progress to#ards further integration of the States of the European 4ommunity. They remain, ho#e!er, a reminder that any additional step must be thoroughly considered and #ell prepared. Therefore, these !oices are not neglected. )nly the &ritish press, #hich, since

22

1BDC*DB, is most !isibly represented by "upert 8urdoch, is increasingly hostile to#ards Europe3. An additional step in the right direction #ould no# be to e/plain the benefits of a federal United Europe to children and students at a fairly young age and in a meaningful #ay. This #ould ha!e the long*term effect of making them less susceptible to nationalist demagoguery against Europe #hen they become adults. "ather than glorifying the #ars and !ictories, the teaching of history should gi!e more #eight to the description of suffering and po!erty of the population from the continual #ars that ra!aged Europe during the past centuries and highlight the potential for prosperity and peace in a United Europe. This is already common practice in some schools, but many schools do not yet follo# this trend. The European 4ommunity #ill bring benefits not only in economic terms, but also in the form of moral !alues and tolerance, such as being part of a cultural that does not e/clude anybody 1ust because he or she- R belongs to a particular religion, R identifies herselfPhimself as a homose/ual person G#ithout, ho#e!er, manifesting this religious or se/ual affiliation in aggressi!e #ays in publicH, R has a certain skin colour, R is a #oman, R represents a political tendency, R is particularly e/cellent in school or too shy, R has a physical or mental disability, R is pacifist, etc. This culture is characterised by tolerance, but is also kno#n to defend itself against aggressi!e intolerance. At the present time, the e/change of students bet#een schools and uni!ersities in different 8ember States becomes more and more intensi!e and this enhances the understanding of different customs and cultures in the E4. The success of this programme is ob!ious. 8ore and more young people speak one or se!eral other European languages in addition to their nati!e language, thus greatly impro!ing the empathy for the different #ays of life in neighbouring countries. $olitical and cultural nationalism is more and more on retreat and faltering. The neo*,a+is in 6ermany and else#here ha!e !ery fe# supporters and residual right#ing e/tremism else#here is a fading model. The practical e/perience and the participation of all segments of the population of the European 4ommunity in the creation of a ne# society is so con!incing that these outdated political trends ha!e no longer a place in peopleFs minds. 8oreo!er, there is !irtually no unemployment in the E4 during these early years. The 7rench call these first 3J years after orld ar (( #ith full employment the ETrente 6lorieuses= Gthe thirty glorious yearsH. 9ater on, after the first oil shock, programmes are 2uickly set up to pro!ide #ork for those people #ho lose their 1obs due to the economic do#nturn, including training in ne# competences for different trades. @uring the course of the same year #hen Eurotrain is launched, i.e. in 1BIJ, #e also see a truly European tele!ision channel broadcasting for the first time. 7or no#, !ie#ers cannot yet select their language by remote control Gthe broadcast languages are- 6erman, 7rench, @utch and (talianH. This #ill be held in reser!e for the digital age. 4onse2uently, itFs no longer 1ust pupils, students, customers of Euromail and Eurocom and tra!elling citi+ens #ho closely feel the breath of Europe, but also the increasingly numerous folk of tele!ision spectators. Europe comes into the home. The European tele!ision broadcasts in particular cultural programs that sho# the AlocalA life, customs and traditions in the neighbouring countries. &ut !ariety sho#s, ne#s, political discussions, scientific and
3

% should like to indicate here a contri&ution &! Agn's (atherine )oirier - *o. +211 - ,-l-rama which descri&es the .urdoch press /uite rightl! as a predator. %n addition 0ir 1avid 2are the #ritish pla!wright is /uoted: 3.urdoch is a pure ,hatcherite. 2e &rought a ver! raw nationalism to 4reat#ritain which is at the same time martial anti-5uropean and imperialist.6 0ee also: http://www.telerama.$r/medias/la-presse-murdoch-l-empire-/ui-pervertit-les-democraties 71712.php

23

many contributions in other categories are also broadcast across national borders. @emocratically controlled Gso that they do not degenerate into censorshipH regulations concerning the 2uality of tele!ision programmes guarantee that at least a minimum le!el of culture, truth and ethics, is respected. (n addition, indiscretion and sensationalism as #ell as the undue direction of attention to superficial social phenomena, should also be a!oided. Soon, other European channels #ith a focus on ne#s, the economy, culture, science, sports, etc., #ill follo#. (n addition, other channels from neighbouring countries and in the original language may be recei!ed in your coutry, #hich is e/tremely positi!e for the diffusion of kno#ledge of foreign languages. There is a li!ely debate on #hether ad!ertising has a place in tele!ision, and if so, ho# this is handled in a manner that is compatible #ith the a!oidance of interruption of ongoing programmes. (t is agreed that the national tele!ision should settle for ha!ing as little as possible ad!ertising, since it is already financed by the State and, therefore, through citi+ensF ta/es. The ad!ertising for self*financing of future pri!ate channels #ill be allo#ed, but #ith the stipulation of not interrupting ongoing programmes. .o# #ill further progress for Europe be achie!ed' ill there be other actors from public life, the economy and industry that #ill follo# the e/ample of the post offices, telecoms, the rail#ays and tele!ision' 4an policy instigate more mergers of national companies into European companies' There are still the utilities, and in particular those in the energy and #ater sectors, left for the realisation of their European potential. And indeed- little by little, the energy supply companies can no longer escape the attraction that is e/erted by the European idea and the insistence of politicians to initiate further progress. (n 1BI1, mergers take place bet#een operators in the natural gas sector on the one hand, and the electricity sector on the other hand. At the beginning, these mergers are still relati!ely loose, because there are different structures in the 8ember States. (f for e/ample the electricity producers and the suppliers of natural gas in 7rance are still public at this time, in other countries there are mi/tures of models, #here State firms, pri!ate companies and semi* public companies coe/ist. At the end of a long political debate a semi*public model #ill be agreed upon. ,e# cost structures #ill be de!eloped, ensuring that customers not only do not suffer disad!antages, but get also benefits. &y connecting the energy utilities bet#een them, thanks mainly to the standardi+ation of infrastructure elements and e2uipment, synergies and cost reductions can be achie!ed, resulting in lo#er prices for the consumer. 7urthermore, through the reduction of bureaucracy, additional cost sa!ings #ill be obtained. hile the E4 economy is still steaming ahead * the first oil crisis is still to come * unemployed #orkers #ould 2uickly find ne# 1obs else#here. .o#e!er, initially the agents of these operators #onFt need to find ne# 1obs else#here because they are needed for the reorganisation, moderni+ation and integration of electricity grids and the construction of ne# gas pipelines. (n addition it must be made sure that customer pro/imity becomes a priority5 and for this #e need moti!ated employees and not ones discouraged by the perspecti!e of unemployment. At first, the ;local= electric and gas utilities #ill continue to use their original logo ne/t to the European symbol. )!er time, the integration progresses to the point #here only the European logo #ill remain and the former #ill be gone. 4iti+ens #ill soon percei!e their public ser!ices that are no# completely focused on their customers as another building stone in the European .ome. Shortly after#ards, the #ater utilities #ill follo#, adopting a similar model. )n this occasion, there is no push for accelerating the integration. Suite the contrary- it is deemed sensible to

20

grant the necessary time to 2uietly apply the aggregation of the indi!idual elements for the simple reason that in different regions, #ater companies can be municipal or pri!ate, small or subsidiaries of a large corporation, and a 2uick merger #ould not be possible. Therefore, as a first step, a federation of #ater companies is initiated. The fact that #e ha!e a federation of companies allo#s local #ater companies to ha!e their original local logo and the European logo, one ne/t to the other. .o#e!er, e!en in this case, a truly European company emerges o!er the years, #hich is then able to perform the necessary in!estments for the modernisation of e2uipment for fresh #ater supply and #aste #ater e!acuation to and from consumers. (t may be recalled here that the #ater utilities do not only carry #ater to the customer but also operate se#age plants in order to then introduce the purified #aste#ater safely into ri!ers or into the sea. The population has no doubt that the described solution is the best, since it has had e/cellent e/periences #ith other European utilities and ser!ices. Trade unions and employers from the professional sector ha!e managed to agree that the targeted model can only #ork if both parties go hand in hand in the same direction. (n collaboration #ith company management, the unions are eager to create a climate that is conduci!e to resol!ing conflicts through mutual agreement. (t should be noted, ho#e!er, that a possible pri!atisation or repri!atisation of the energy andPor #ater sectors cannot be e/cluded in the long term, if, to the e/tent that the European 4ommunity e/pands geographically, these companies should become too large and inert. .o#e!er, in this case, it should be conclusi!ely pro!en that pri!atisation entails significant benefits for customers and these benefits must be guaranteed. (t cannot be permitted that a utility company or public ser!ice, once pri!atised, has in mind nothing but its o#n profits and di!idend payments to shareholders. All too often, after pri!atisation of public ser!ices, citi+ens ha!e the impression that lots of promises had been made and only !ery fe# or none of them ha!e been kept. To make it clear- for the creation of ser!ices companies or energy or #ater utilities, operating across Europe, the E4 #ill generally not ha!e resort to nationalisations. hen the utilities are still state*o#ned companies, #hich is often the case, their transformation into an organisation operating at European le!el is relati!ely easy. Mou are not confronted #ith pri!ate interests, as for e/ample shareholders, #ho can claim compensation or a right of !eto or delay the course of history other#ise. &eyond the Europeani+ation of the post offices, Telecoms, rail#ays, tele!ision, electricity and gas, no further European ser!ice companies or utilities, #ith the e/ception of the banking and financial sector, #ill be created. (ndeed, it is not e!en remotely thought about nationalising pri!ate sector companies. As already mentioned, the measures taken so far ha!e nothing to do #ith nationalisation. (n cases #here #e are dealing #ith a mi/ed basket of state*o#ned, pri!ate semi*public companies, the semi*public model for operation across the European 4ommunity is preferred. here #e ha!e a large number of small and large mostly pri!ate companies to be integrated into a European*#ide body, the model of a federation of companies #ith central head2uarters but largely independent indi!idual firms is applied.

2>

1econd pha e( &!eation and t!en)thenin) of in tit$tion and othe! bodie fo! a United E$!ope
)reface% The created symbols do not fail achie!ing their desired effect. ;Europe= is no# much more than 1ust a geographical and economic term. 7or many citi+ens, it becomes their second home, something like a super*nation GTbernationH. At present, a truly European identification document that allo#s residents to identify themsel!es as citi+ens of the European 4ommunity and not 1ust of one of its 8ember nations, #ould be #elcome. (n addition, there is a need for the creation of institutions that enable residents directly to participate in the political life of the community and the region #here they ha!e taken residence. 8ean#hile, national procedures, standards and policies in the areas of education, economy, finance, and defence should be unified or at least ad1usted so as to arri!e at something that has at least a semblance of a European meaning. ********************** Since the main energy and #ater utilities as #ell as public ser!ice companies no# operate at the European le!el, the inhabitants of the E4 8ember States feel more and more at home in thei! Europe. As already mentioned, the European 4ommunity #orks #ell, is close to the citi+ens and gaining recognition and political #eight on the #orld stage. E!ery#here citi+ens meet European symbols and feel the presence of this so #hole*heartedly desired Europe. At the same time, they do not feel the urge to cling to their nation states, since, at least for the time being, ;Europe= does not interfere #ith affairs of national competence, such as culture, ta/ation or education. ,ot in a single 8ember State is the language or the #ay of life threatened. (nstead, the different regions of Europe, such as the 7rench $ro!ence or the 6erman &a!aria or the (talian Tuscany or 9ombardy are gaining #eight in the concert of the ,ations and regions that are no# united in a common Europe. .o#e!er, the strengths and #eaknesses of the regions are no# becoming more !isible and a real, but also friendly, competition bet#een the regions begins to take shape, #hich can be beneficial for their competiti!eness. e see that the free mo!ement of goods, persons and businesses in the European Union and the Europeani+ation of the ma1or public ser!ices and energy and #ater utilities create the basis for a con!ergence of the economic strength of the different E4 8ember States. Europe is e/perienced ;li!e=. 8ore and more people #ant to be real citi=en of thi E$!ope and not 1ust citi+ens of (talian or &elgian nationality, #here the European 4ommunity is only mentioned as a sideline. They #ant to be in possession of a truly European passport and re2uest this loudly and clearly. 7inally, in 1BI2, the moment comes that a European passport, #hich does not mention any nationality, e/cept that of the European 4ommunity, is issued to indi!iduals #ho e/plicitly e/press their desire to ha!e it. These passport holders pay their ta/es and !ote in political elections #here they ha!e their first residence Git is e/pected that the problem of different le!els of national ta/ rates #ill be sol!ed in a fe# years by unifying the ta/ rates in all of the European 4ommunityH. After the signing of the treaties of "ome ;to lay the foundations of an e!er closer political Union= bet#een European peoples, this is only a logical conse2uence. Schengen is thus anticipated for many years. This solution allo#s the passport holder to keep his or her ;national identity= Gin the sense that it is a cultural identityH for him* or herself, #ithout this being specially noted in his or her passport. ith the current system, a 6erman for e/ample, #ho, at a gi!en time, decides to li!e in 7rance and #ould like to feel at home, #ould ha!e to change his nationality, i.e. become 7rench. So, he could no# claim to be 7rench, #here in reality he still feels 6erman. .is mother tongue ultimately 2D

remains 6erman, and he has recei!ed his education for most of the time in 6ermany. Also, the legacy of a !ast cultural space until the end of the 1Bth century and the heritage from the Second orld ar, #here, on behalf of the Third "eich things ha!e happened, that #e #ould rather like to forget, cannot 1ust be ditched. &ut my generation continues to bear this burden and does not deny the legacy from the 12 years of ,a+ism, e!en if #e are born too late to be directly guilty. The hypocrisy that goes hand in hand #ith naturalisation #ould cease #ith the European passport. The European passport #ill ha!e the ad!antage of allo#ing its o#ner to break out of the limitations imposed by the former narro# nationality and thus feel spiritually and intellectually more free5 being able to dra# on a multitude of European cultures and gaining a lot by assimilating them. The holder of this passport can culti!ate his secret garden #ithout feeling guilty of betraying Ehis country=. .is country is no# Europe. $ersonally, ( #ould immediately apply for a European passport, regardless of #here ( li!e. G)n the other hand, my children, that ( #ill ha!e later on, #ill be educated for most of the time in 7rance or in 7rench*speaking countries and #ill be 7rench and proud of it K at least as long as no alternati!e is a!ailable.H
1uring 19AC we have a son! 0venQ I get my ,h1 at the "aximilian 7niversity in "unichQ we obtain our European passport with which! shortly after! we travel proudly ?my little family and I@ to 7ganda! where I shall be wor$ing as a geologist for the former 'ederal Institute for 0oil )esearch in #anover ?the eDuivalent of the 'rench +)*" or the +ritish *eological 0urvey@% &he country is often called the 0wit=erland of -frica% &he )uwen=ori "ountains ?5133 m@ have no small part in this denomination! but the country as a whole is also situated at 1333 to 1533 metres above sea level and has thus a very pleasant climate ?neither too hot nor too wet@% &he population is extremely hospitable and characterised by a great ethnic diversity% In particular the <arama4ong in the 2orth of the country are Duite specialQ their way of life can be compared with that of the "aasai in <enya 9 they have always been a self9confident and proud tribe! even in difficult circumstances% #owever! under the dictator Idi -min! they had to go through a great deal of suffering% 'or example! traditionally they did not appreciate very much to wear plain clothes but the dictator forced them to put on civilian clothes and thereby nearly destroyed their self9esteem% We live in <ampala! the capital of 7ganda! and I wor$ as exploration *eologist for non9 ferrous metal deposits and am often away from home and family for long wee$s at a time to be :in the field;! where I do geological mapping! geochemical sampling and analysis and documentation of drill core! etc% +eing often left on her own! -nnie must deal with household chores and the situation of being sole parent% 'ortunately! we are soon ma$ing -frican! *erman and 'rench friends! ma$ing it easier for us not to feel as strangers in this country and to share experiences and new information about the European (ommunity% -mong our -frican friends there is also ,rincess Eli=abeth +agaaya ?also $nown as ,rincess Eli=abeth of &oro@! who is an interesting and courageous person with a rather moving biography% 0he has repeatedly been the 7gandan -mbassador to the 7nited 2ations% We have thus freDuently visitors and -nnie is not alone with 0ven% We also have a great and loving nanny! )uth% 0he Duic$ly ta$es 0ven to her heart% When "iriam "a$eba 8 a few of you will probably still remember her 8 comes to 7ganda at that time to sing and also as an -mbassador of the blac$ population of 0outh -frica! we personally meet her% 0he is a woman with a lot of charisma and charm and is best $nown for her (lic$ 0ong ?e%g% ,ata ,ata@ and for her commitment to fight the policy of apartheid in 0outh -frica% 0he still wears her many braids with colourful beads%

2I

In <ampala! 7ganda hosts a 7niversity with an international reputation: the "a$erere 7niversity% Its origin goes bac$ to the year 19CC! when it was founded as a technical school and in 19BG it became the 7niversity of East -frica and offered courses leading to diplomas of the 7niversity of 5ondon% In 19A3! the 7niversity became independent% number of -frican leaders have studied here% &here is therefore a highly educated intelligentsia in 7ganda! which is apparently not sitting well with an authoritarian regime% &his educated upper class certainly has an opinion about what is happening in Europe% &hese people aspire towards more democracy in -frica and to more unity rather than conflict between the -frican 0tates that are indeed more or less artificial creations of the colonial era% 'or them! Europe is a model towards which they would li$e to moveQ at least regarding blac$ -frica% 0adly! -frica is not yet ready for a political union! although there are moves in that direction: already in 19BG the -frican 0tates undertoo$ a first attempt at the unification of the continent when they created the Organi=ation of -frican 7nity ?O-7@% 7nfortunately! as 7ganda is under the totalitarian reign of Idi -min! the technical assistance to 7ganda can no longer be morally 4ustified% -fter 4ust a year! we return to "unich%

hile #e are in Uganda, the de!elopments in Europe are making great strides. The same year it is decided that political parties can no# launch their election campaigns for the European $arliament in an E4*#ide fashion for about 2JU of their o!erall candidates, i.e. any#here in the European 4ommunity. 4iti+ens can therefore e!ery#here #ithin the boundaries of the E4, #here!er that may be, !ote for candidates of all 8ember countries of the E4 Ge.g. &elgian citi+ens can !ote for (talian candidatesH. Another part of the candidates GCJUH is elected by their region or the country of origin. The president of the $arliament shall be elected by the 8embers of $arliament and in a secret ballot. (n addition, a phased plan is adopted #hich pro!ides for the direct election of the president of the 4ommission by the European 4iti+ens from 1BC1 on#ards. The Europe of the Si/ symboli+es increasingly an alternati!e model to the United States of America. 9iberal capitalism, as is practiced in the United States of America, has not really taken roots in Europe. The European model can be described as a Asocial market economyA, thus characteri+ed by the former 6erman 8inister for Economic Affairs 9ud#ig Erhard, although this term is not !ery clearly defined. The most suitable definition is probably pro!ided by alter Eucken0 G1CB1*1B>JH for his )rdoliberalism>. The social market economy is ho#e!er more pragmatic and lea!es the duty to ensure social 1ustice #ith the State. 4reating a social market economy, does certainly not mean to create a State of total pro!idence, #hich takes care of you from cradle to gra!e. This is out of the 2uestion for any free and democratic system. &ut the social market economy is a human system, based on indi!idual and collecti!e initiati!e and solidarity. ork and labour is considered to be #hat in the end it is- the 7oundation for a successful and re#arding life. 7inances are subordinate
0

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/"alter85ucken

>

http-PPen.#ikipedia.orgP#ikiP)rdoliberalism
Ordoliberalism is the 4erman variant &etween social li&eralism and neoli&eralism that emphasi9es the need $or the state to ensure that the $ree market produces results close to its theoretical potential. :rdoli&eral ideals ;with modi$ications< drove the creation o$ the post-"orld "ar %% 4erman social market econom! and its attendant Wirtschaftswunder. 2owever ordoli&erals promoted the concept o$ the social market econom! and this concept promotes a strong role $or the state with respect to the market which is in man! wa!s di$$erent $rom the ideas that are nowada!s connected with the term neoli&eralism

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to #orking acti!ity and entrepreneurial spirit and not the other #ay around. (n addition, finances should support inno!ation #hen it needs financial help. (nside this model, a bene!olent capitalism certainly has its place. ithout gain, there #ill be no economic and social progress. The 2uestion is al#ays #here a healthy spirit of reasonable gain stops and greed begins, in other #ords #here the logic of profit for profit and hence the unbridled financial system starts. (t must be noted, ho#e!er, that social market economy and ordoliberalism only #ork if #e are dealing #ith relati!ely healthy public finances and a passably healthy economy. &oth #ill not sa!e a country from a situation of national bankruptcy and a sick economy. To do this, far greater efforts and different solutions #ill be needed. A(deologicallyA, the European 4ommunity is positioned some#here bet#een the United States of America and the So!iet Union. This situation allo#s her to present herself as an intermediary bet#een these t#o ri!als, making possible a significant impro!ement in the political and economic relations bet#een estern Europe and the So!iet Union. The European 4ommunity is recogni+ed as a partner of the So!iet Union and the cold #ar loses little by little its hyper*glacial face. A hope of dLtente and rapprochement #ins o!er and both partners benefit as much as possible, in particular in the economic, but also in the human field. The Europe of the European 4ommunity is considered to be a secular community, tolerant to#ards all religions. (ts A estern cultureA is not only defined by 4hristianity, but rather by the di!ersity of its cultural influences from anti2uity until modern times, and after#ards. (n a future Europe there should also be room for Turkey. (n any case, there is no# room for deeply religious people of all religious communities, as #ell as for ardent atheists and all shades in*bet#een the t#o. (t is assumed, ho#e!er, that nobody harasses non*belie!ers or follo#ers of other faiths #ith their o#n faith or sho# off their religion in a #ay that other people #ithdra# into a defensi!e posture. 7or most citi+ens, it does not matter if 6od is $rotestant, 4atholic, ?e#ish or 8uslim. (f there is a 6od, .e has certainly not chosen any particular religion. 8oreo!er, it is 2uite possible to ha!e moral !alues #ithout being religious. Absolutely non*religious education #ith moral standards and #ithout pre1udice can ha!e the same effect as a religious education if these legal standards are borro#ed from the peaceful and respectful coe/istence of indi!iduals in a community of human beings. .o#e!er, there is no li!ing e/ample #here a #hole society li!es according to these principles, the 4ommunist model ha!ing failed. (n the absence of such e/amples, it is al#ays better to li!e according to the precepts of a religion, than to li!e #ithout precepts at all. 9etFs come back to the European 4ommunity- the attraction that it is no# e/erting on non* member European countries is gro#ing from year to year. (n ?anuary 1BI3, @enmark and (reland 1oin the E4. The United :ingdom remains outside of the E4 because the loss of national so!ereignty seems too much. (t is also at this time G1BI2H that the European 4urrency Snake #ith a limitation of the band#idth of e/change rate fluctuations of its member currencies of 2.2>U is implemented5 this is the first attempt to mo!e closer to a European currency. .o#e!er, (taly Galmost instantlyH and 7rance Ga little laterH lea!e the system from the beginning. &ut the pro1ect remains ali!e, e!en though some European countries are not yet prepared to take this step, #hich re2uires coordination of financial policies and national budgets. (t is only in 1BIB, that all 8ember States are #illing to make

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ma1or concessions in this area. A lot of persuasion both by the European 4ommission and by 6o!ernments has been necessary. 8ean#hile, some countries like 7rance and (taly are plagued by high inflation rates and reali+e that #ithout regulatory bodies inflation can be e/tremely difficult to control.
In 19AO we move to &ogo! where we stay until 19AA% #ere the situation is more peaceful than in 7ganda! although Jtienne *nassingbK EyadKma! the &ogolese ,resident! is not a philanthropist either% I/m wor$ing in uranium exploration in 2orthern &ogo ?based in 5ama$ara@% In Lanuary 19AB! my first daughter! &ina! is born in 5omK! the capital of &ogo% 5ife in -frica is far from being boring 9 we also travel to neighbouring countries! including <enya! *hana! +enin! 2igeria! (ameroon! etc% Of course! there is initially a distance between Rwhite Europeans/ and /blac$ -fricans/Q but this distance decreases as we try to understand each other% ,eople are extremely friendly! and! despite the often extreme poverty! appear even cheerful% &he landscapes are fascinating but also sometimes threatening ?storms! drought! and torrential rains@% 1aily life is mar$ed by worries such as: do we have enough drin$ing water for the next few days ?there is no running water in the dwellings in 5ama$ara@! how to stay in contact with the head office in 5omK! ?there are almost no telephones in homes and the telephone line at the post office is often interrupted@! whether the supply for the exploration group arrives in a timely manner! etc% )egarding our son! there/s no $indergarten in 5ama$ara and children in the region do often not spea$ any 'rench% 0o we send 0ven at the local elementary school! although he is still too young for this% 0oon! he mixes *erman! 'rench and local languages such as for example <oto$oli% I stop spea$ing *erman with him in order to prevent that the confusion of languages becomes too important% With lots of improvisation! -nnie masters life in a not always comfortable environment% 'or example! on the day of &inaNs birth in 5omK! -nnie wal$s to the hospital for delivery! exactly as most -fricans do when they have the chance to have a hospital nearby% We thin$ often of the rapid developments in Europe towards a community without borders and without discrimination against minorities but also more and more towards a consumer society! while the world in -frica appears to have come to a halt and is standing still% +ut again! appearances can deceive% &here are certainly attempts to brea$ out of the isolation% 7nfortunately Mthe O-7 SOrganisation of -frican 7nityT maintained the principle of non9intervention in the domestic affairs of its members% &his has led to an attitude of passive observer in the face of violent military coups! civil wars and gross violations of human rights and the O-7 is often perceived as the R(lub of dictatorsNB and as R,aper tigerNMA% #owever! the European idea resonates in West and (entral -frica% -fter all! the West and (entral -frican monetary unions with their franc ('- ?franc des colonies 'ranUaises d/-friDue and later franc de la (ommunautK financiVre africaine@ as a shared monetary unit have positive economic effects that could unfortunately not survive without radical devaluation in the 1993s for lac$ of economic and fiscal coordination in the 19 3s% &he lin$s with the former colonial powers of the -frican countries after their independence is still too strong for a pan9-frican movement with the ultimate goal of an -frican 'ederation to succeed% &he successor Organisation! the -frican 7nion ! has not been much more successful In mid919AA! the -frican adventure has come to an end% I get 4aundice and stay for a period of G months at hospital in *ermany while -nnie stays with our children at her parentsN in ,aris% -fter the hospital brea$! I am advised not to return to &ogo! and start a four9month mission in the 7nited 0tates of -merica! where I am based in 1enver! doing
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exploration in Idaho% &he family remains in ,aris% &he so4ourn in the 7nited 0tates of -merica gives me the opportunity to get to $now people and country at least to some extent% &he landscapes are stunning: 6ellowstone 2ational ,ar$! *rand &eton 2ational ,ar$! (oloradoW On the way from 1enver to Idaho and bac$! I had the chance to drive my pic$up and camping trailer through magnificent places% What I admired about -mericans! is the naXvetK with which they approach things% -mericans do not accept failure% If anyone has tried something without success! he has simply not approached it in the right way% 0o let/s try it again! but differently% Even scientific evidence does not hold -mericans bac$ from trying something or believing in something or not believing in it% I have experienced this attitude during my uranium exploration in the 70-% &hings that one would simply not do in Europe! because there is a history that tells you it will not wor$! will be tried all the same in the 0tates% If someone comes up with the idea to do so! he will do it! notwithstanding any ob4ections that it wonNt wor$% -nd sometimes! with a little luc$! they even succeed% &his becomes obviously problematic when it comes to environmental matters or climate change% In this case! there is simply nothing you can do about itQ the ma4ority of the population 4ust does not believe that human activity is at the root of this problem ?I say this today in the year C31G 9 in 19AA! the issue of climate change isnNt pertinent yet 9 but the -merican mentality has not changed since@% )egarding the European (ommunity as a political topic of interest! -mericans are rather indifferent% &he aspects M,eace factorM and M-tlantic partnerM of the E( are of course highlighted and supported% #owever! the E( is also seen as an economic rival and political support is therefore ambivalent% +ut somewhere! at least when listening to the /informed/ -mericans! the admiration for the European model cannot be overloo$ed% It should be mentioned! however! that many -mericans have only a vague idea about Europe% &hey live in their own world and have little contact with the continent of origin of their ancestors% &he MappropriationM of their continent was certainly no picnic and this has of course its cultural conseDuences still a long time afterwards% In addition! a different rivalry comes into play: the European (ommunity is not only feared as an economic competitor but also as an emerging challenger in the sense of a political and life9style model% 0o far! the 7nited 0tates of -merica has been the undisputed global model for economic! geopolitical and military success! for which they were openly or secretly envied by virtually all countries of the world% 2ow! all over sudden! a competitor arises who disputes them this status if not in the military but certainly in the economic! geopolitical! social and cultural spheres%

(n Europe mean#hile, ne# progress has been made in the field of education. (n 1BII, 8inistries of education reach E4*#ide agreement on coordination and e2ui!alence of academic and other professional education and registration fees for these courses. At the same time, the possibility for students to do part of their studies in neighbouring E4 countries is promoted. This greatly facilitates the ability of college or uni!ersity students in one 8ember State to a change o!er to a college or Uni!ersity in another 8ember State. At the same time, it promotes the recognition of diplomas obtained in one country by all countries of the 4ommunity. This recognition #ill be finally integrated in the legal frame#ork of the E4, #hich is an important step as it enhances the mobility of #ell trained specialists of any kind, #hether trained at uni!ersity or at other higher education establishments. hether they e/ercise a liberal profession or are employees, this ne#ly gained mobility is immensely conduci!e to the continuance of economic and technological progress #ithin the European 4ommunity and, in addition, a!oids the sclerosis of social and employment structures. The recognition of documentation and diplomas certifying the completion of other professional training and studies throughout the European 4ommunity is soon to follo#. (n addition, the

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barriers to entry in certain occupational categories #ill be gradually dismantled. At the same time, agencies are created in all regions of the European 4ommunity that are responsible for creating a#areness among young people regarding the demand for different skills and the corresponding career opportunities. This is achie!ed through the participation of representati!es from industry and small and medium*si+ed companies, as #ell as associations from the !arious professions. (n addition, &elgium, 7rance and (taly adopt the apprenticeship system that has pro!en its #orth in 6ermany and #hich has been abolished in 7rance only since the 1BDJs. (n 1BIC, Europe affords a research policy, #hich aims to propel the European 4ommunity at the forefront of the #orld of scientific research and inno!ation. ,e/t to electronics, computing, physics and chemistry, medical research also plays an important role. The research #ill be done in particular in the field of rare diseases, #hich are neglected by big pharmaceutical companies, and in the field of cancer and diseases of the third #orld Gas de!eloping countries are still called in those yearsH, such as malaria, typhoid fe!er, etc. and the de!elopment of ne# drugs. The A(@S !irus is not yet disco!ered. 7inally, the moment has arri!ed- in 1BIB, finances Gre!enues and e/pendituresH in the countries of the E4 are aligned on a model adopted by the community, according to #hich countries must create financial reser!es during years of affluence, to be used during lean years so that deep recessions can be a!oided. This means of course that ta/ systems should be largely unified P standardised and that designated regulators can inter!ene #hen nations prepare their budgets. Their authority shall be such that the measures proposed in the countries concerned must not be #atered do#n or e!en ignored. (n addition to the coordination of o!erall national budget plans, there is also a solidarity system of redistribution of funds bet#een rich and poor countries so as to enable in!estment in the poorest countries and regions and raise the standard of li!ing there as #ell. 4ountries, such as the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany and others #ithin and outside of the E4 ha!e already practiced this for some time #ithin their o#n borders. (n addition, an impro!ed banking super!ision is introduced in 1BCJ, to make their acti!ities more efficient and to better ser!e the economy. Those banks that #ant to earn their money #ith financial transactions such as mergers, ac2uisitions, speculati!e 7ore/ trading, trading in options and deri!ati!es, and so on, must make use of their o#n capital and set aside reser!es for possible setbacks. The banks designated as AnormalA must foremost finance economic gro#th and pro!e their risk*taking capacity by funding inno!ations Ge.g. financial support for the establishment of ne# companies or start*upsH and help small and medium*si+ed enterprises #hen they need to in!est in order to moderni+e their in!entory of machines or to penetrate ne# markets, etc. 7or this purpose, national central banks and, later, the European 4entral &ank G#hich has yet to be createdH, #ill put credits at !ery affordable rates at the disposal of pri!ate and municipal banks. 7or a social market economy, these banks are absolutely necessary, because #ithout them, the economy #ould remain in poor health and suffer from the high !olatility of the financial markets. )f course, these banks must place the sa!ings of their customers in a profitable manner, but they should not risk these sa!ings #ith speculati!e in!estments. They should not forget either, that the intended use of the indi!idual loans, for e/ample, for the purchase of a house or an apartment, is important but must remain profitable. .o#e!er, the range of allo#ed interest rates on these loans must be designed to a!oid e/cesses. 7or banking super!ision it is not only imperati!e to closely obser!e #hat banks do, but also to help them #ith ad!ice and assistance #hen disad!antageous or e!en ad!erse de!elopments are appearing on the hori+on. There must be a 4ommission, #ith e/perienced financial

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e/perts, that can gi!e banks the necessary ad!ice to safely na!igate and a!oid dangerous areas. These dangerous areas are generally called Abubbles A. (t is important to detect them at the point of formation and not only #hen they are already preparing to burst. (n the early stages of bubbles they can still be controlled through countermeasures, #ithout causing ma1or collateral damage. (n other #ords, this 4ommittee shall function as the banksF conscience and enable them to properly perform their tasks, i.e., to ensure that the economy is al#ays #ell oiled and #orks as smoothly as possible5 e!en if this does ne!er produce e/plosi!e, but rather moderate but steady and sustainable gro#th. )f course, sooner or later, e!en the economic policies of the 8ember States must be coordinated and a common economic policy must be established. This #ill probably become possible only after the unification of the E4 member States in a genuine 7ederation.
In early 19A ! my family and I! we arrive in (anada! where exploration for uranium in the provinces of .uebec! Ontario! 2ew +runswic$! 2ewfoundland! 5abrador! and 2ova 0cotia is conducted out of "ontreal% -fter the experience of -frica! a very different experience awaits us here% We come from a two9month vacation in "artiniDue! the country of -nnieNs parents! where the temperature was about Y G3 degrees (elsius and arrive in "ontreal in Lanuary when the temperature is 8 G3 degrees (elsius% We are almost ma$ing a 79turn 8 such is our first impression of (anadaNs inhospitable climate% #owever! after the first shoc$! we discover that .uebecers are very friendly! welcoming and gracious people% With an apartment in 5ambert (losse 0treet in "ontreal! very close to the downtown -twater ?#oc$ey arena@ we integrate fairly Duic$ly and acDuire a circle of friends! which is not very difficult in .uebec% &he schooling of 0ven and later &ina happens without any difficulty% Only in winter! the way to school is not entirely without problems% Even if the children are pic$ed up at home by the typical yellow school bus to be driven to school! they must be dressed very warmly in thic$ winter suits with only their eyes remaining visible! ma$ing them wal$ li$e astronauts in their space suits% In the early days! we believe that our 0ven will soon be able to fluently spea$ English! next to 'rench% -fter all! (anada is a bilingual country% WrongW Our hope is Duic$ly deceived% -t the time! from 19AB to 19 5! )enK 5KvesDue! a li$eable politician! is ,rime "inister of .uebec and his policy aims at the independence of .uebec! which is Duite the opposite of what happens in Europe% One of his $ey measures is the prohibition of spea$ing English at school! even during recreation time! except during English lessons as a foreign language% If a child is ta$en by surprise to spea$ English with a classmate during recreation! he is reprimanded% We have therefore re4oiced far too early% -lthough .uebec does finally not brea$ out of the (anadian 'ederation 8 the European example has perhaps influenced peopleNs minds after all 9 the idea of independence remains alive over the years% "any readers surely remember the MEive le .uKbec libreWM! the words spo$en in 19BA by (harles de *aulle at the end of a speech in "ontreal% In any case! the .uebecers do remember% -s far as I am concerned! I am often up9country or Min the bushM! as the geologists say% In other words! I am away from home up north in tundra country and do exploration and geological mappingQ plan! monitor! and analy=e drill holesQ analyse geochemical profiles etc%! while living with a group of prospectors and drillers in a camp away from M(ivili=ationM in 2orthern (anada% Exploration campaigns ta$e several months in summer and in winter% 1uring the months in9between! the 2orth is not easily accessible! because thawing during springtime or free=ing during early autumn renders mobility on land but also on la$es difficult or impossible ?in winter drilling campaigns are carried out on la$e ice@%

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1uring the exploration phases! -nnie must again manage getting along all by herself without a husband or father for the children being around% In (anada! and in particular in .uebec! it is fortunately not complicated when it comes to finding a 4ob% 6ou present yourself somewhere! where you have heard that someone with a specific s$ill is needed! and the next day you are employed ?or sometimes the same day@% -s a conseDuence! when -nnie loo$s for a 4ob as a physical therapist! she finds it almost immediately% When she is not at home! a nanny ta$es care of the children% In 0eptember 19 1! we have a second daughter! 2ancy% 1uring the transition periods I/m at home in "ontreal and we explore .uebec by car% In early fall! at the beginning of October! during the MIndian summerM one can observe beautifully red and yellow coloured "aple forests% "any .uebecers have a cottage in the 5aurentian "ountains! 2orth of "ontreal! and spend often long wee$end there :to see the leaves; during this period% Eastern (anada 9 and in particular .uKbec 9 reminds the visitor much more of Europe than the southern neighbour! the 70! and in particular itNs "idwest! does% &his applies not only to the landscape! but also to the mentality of both the 'rancophone and the -nglophone population% 2evertheless! the development in Europe is surprisingly not a burning issue here% ,eople are Duite busy with their daily lives and have no time for Europe% #owever! they do $now Europe better than the -mericans do and discussing the European (ommunity can find resonance% &he European pro4ect is universally admired! even if the $nowledge about the issue does not go very deep% -lso! it must be said that the relationship between .uebec and the European (ommunity is relatively superficial% &he feeling of being culturally and linguistically threatened in an overwhelmingly English9spea$ing geographical! economic! political! and linguistic environment! exhorts this (anadian province to loo$ for cultural and linguistic support not from the E(! but from 'rance% (anada as a whole is economically very closely intertwined with the 70! and .uebec is not really an exception in this respect% &his general lac$ of interest in the development in Europe and even in a further integration of the countries of 2orth -merica worries us very much ?the free trade agreement between (anada and the 70 will not be signed until 19 A and 2-'&- enters into force only in 199O@ and we as$ ourselves whether (anada can possibly be the right place for a second home% What would we do if economic circumstances force us to ma$e a decision to either definitely stay in (anada or return to Europe> Evidently! being so close to the border with the 70! we cannot but cross that border and visit the "aine and 2ew 6or$% #owever! the customs formalities are very stringent at that time% 1uring a visit to a (hinese restaurant in 2ew 6or$/s *reenwich Eillage! we are served so excellent and opulent a meal that afterwards we can barely move% -part from these culinary impressions! 2ew 6or$ is also a treasure of art! painting and documentation of the past in ma4or galleries and museums% We are not only marvelled by the museums and art galleries! but also the +roadway impresses us enormously%

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Thi!d pha e( O$tco,e of the d!ea, 21t!en)thenin) the co,,$nit/3 p!epa!in) and fo$ndin) the United 1tate of E$!ope 2U1E44
)reface% 8uch has been achie!ed so far. The ;Europeans= can be satisfied. They are no# ready to proceed #ith the ne/t step of the formation of a Union of a truly federal character, #ith a common currency and pension system, and a uniform ta/ation scheme. hat no# remains to be done is to define the number of 6o!ernment le!els for the 7ederation and the competences each le!el should ha!e- the 6o!ernment of the Union, the national 6o!ernments Gi.e., the 6o!ernments of the 8ember StatesH and the 6o!ernments of the "egions Gi.e. the $ro!incial 6o!ernments such as &a!aria, $ro!ence, Tuscany, allonia, etc.H. The community can no# more serenely consider the inclusion of additional members. &ut at some point, it #ill be faced #ith the problem of ho# the Union might #ant to support the moral obligations, #hich resulted from orld ar ((, as for e/ample supporting (srael politically and financially to repair the crimes committed by 6ermany against the ?e#ish people, from the Algerian #ar, or from the sla!e trade, etc. This painful European heritage, #ill it be taken on by the Union' ill Europe also be able to integrate (slam as a European religion' ********************** (n 1BC1, the citi+ens of the E4 States can for the first time directly elect the president of the European 4ommission. ?ac2ues @elors, a con!inced European, #ho renounced the position of 7rench 8inister of finance, #ins this election. This e!ent is highly symbolic- a clear signal is no# gi!en that in the not too distant future there #ill be a $resident of the 7ederation of Europeans States, #ho #ill also be designated through direct elections. The future candidates for accession to the European 4ommunity must from the outset accept this idea if they #ant to become members. 6reece is already a candidate for a number of years and completely accepts this perspecti!e. .o#e!er, some #eaknesses ha!e come to light #hen testing the solidity of the 6reek economy and 6reece must accept a bene!olent custody for t#o or three years in the area of public finance and ta/ policy. As a result of this super!ision, 6reece is soon economically and financially strengthened and in good health. Abo!e all, she has no# a system of administration that #orks and #ith #hich it can go!ern effecti!ely. At the same time, 8argaret Thatcher decides that 6reat*&ritain should not 1oin the European 4ommunity. 7or the United :ingdom, and especially for the press, in particular the 8urdoch press, the political integration efforts go definitely far too far. The &ritish press does not follo# the e/ample of the continental European press at all, but beha!es instead in a #ay that is brutally anti*European. The United :ingdom fears for its independence, #hich is 2uite understandable from the point of !ie# of the former &ritish Empire and for Europe this refusal to 1oin is a great opportunity, because the E4 and the 6o!ernments of its 8ember States can no# freely continue to #ork on the political integration of their countries into the European 4ommunity. (ncidentally, #e can assume that the European 4ommunity, in the case of a different decision by 6reat*&ritain, #ould ha!e demanded guarantees from this country to fully respect the e/isting and planned agreements bet#een E4 8ember States and that it fully conforms to the spirit of the E4 and its !ision of the future. (n the case #here the United :ingdom #ould not ac2uiesce to these conditions, the European 4ommunity #ould ha!e had the right to e/clude the country.

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At present, the integration of the E4 States is already so ad!anced, that in 1BC2 they decide to coordinate their defence spending and to integrate the national defence organisations into a European army #ith general mandatory military ser!ice of one year. There is, ho#e!er, the prospect of abolition of conscription and its replacement by a professional army in the ne/t ten to t#enty years. Met once again, synergies lead to greater efficiency and cost reductions. The dependence on the U.S. defence umbrella is reduced and the European defence is gaining credibility in the #orld. The E4 defence industry sector is no# put to the test. 8&& G8esserschmitt*&Vlko#*&lohmH, 7iat, Thyssen, :rauss*8affei, Snecma, @assault, .erstal, etc., must adapt not only to a ne# and larger domestic market5 they also need to in!est in research and de!elopment G"Q@H to meet the re2uirements of a modern army. The ma1or companies in this sector must no# cooperate much more tightly to keep the costs of these "Q@ acti!ities #ithin acceptable limits. These circumstances contribute to making the European defence industry more competiti!e at the international le!el and the 2uality of the offered e2uipment allo#s it to better choose bet#een customers and especially not to deli!er #eapons to totalitarian or corrupt regimes. The European 4ommunity has reached such dynamism to#ards a genuine Union that in 1BC3 the 8ember States create a 4entral &ank so they can introduce the Euro, the common currency. This step has become indispensable because the mechanisms for the coordination of national economic, budgetary and financial policies begin to become genuinely effecti!e Gafter putting the right conditions into place o!er the years, a European economic policy has gradually and almost imperceptibly emergedH. 4onse2uently, the population enthusiastically #elcomes the introduction of the Euro, #hich is therefore easily achie!ed. Soon the citi+ens of the European 4ommunity can no longer imagine a life #ithout the Euro. Tra!elling from one EU country to another is immensely facilitated by the fact that you are using one and the same currency in all E4 countries. 7urthermore, the losses incurred #hen changing currencies back and forth are an incon!enience nobody is missing. The ne# common currency soon becomes a matter of course for e!erybody and tra!el to neighbouring E4 countries is noticeably increasing. 8ore and more European citi+ens in E4*internal Eborder regionsE take on #ork in neighbouring countries. 8oreo!er, e!en highly skilled #orkers are no# #illing to spend a fe# years of their careers in another E4 country or e!en to definitely settle do#n there. All this leads to a further rapprochement and understanding bet#een the peoples of the European 4ommunity. The European 4entral &ank has no# taken on the role of guardian of the stability of the e/change rate against other currencies5 particular #ith respect to the U.S. dollar, but also against the currencies of those countries, #hich #ant to 1oin the European 4ommunity in the near future and #hich #ould then adopt the Euro automatically. The reason for the latter is that, prior to their entry into the EU, their currencies must not, for a#hile, mo!e outside of a relati!ely narro# range of e/change rate fluctuations. Thus, $ortugal and Spain ha!e committed themsel!es to stabilise their currencies bet#een 1BC3 and 1BCD so that they meet this criterion. The Euro contributes to a great e/tent to the further intensification of trade bet#een the E4 8ember States and the stimulation of stronger than e/pected economic gro#th, #hich has also a positi!e impact on the #orld economy. .o#e!er, because of the common currency, the differences bet#een the economically stronger and #eaker regions come to the fore more clearly than before. The cause is mainly that the peripheral regions compared to the more central regions do not only ha!e a disad!antage related to their infrastructure, but are also

3D

significantly less industrialised and therefore less competiti!e. (t is thus crucial that, in order to de!elop these regions, #e put capital at their disposal5 and that is #hat the Europeans do. They create a solidarity fund #hich is used to compensate, as far as possible, the economic disparities bet#een the regions. The system #ill later be e/tended to the ne# members in the South and the East of the European 4ommunity to offset the still e/isting economic gap bet#een them and the older 8ember States of the E4. An E4 8inistry of 7inance #ould no# be desirable, but for this to happen, #e must still #ait until the creation of the United States of Europe GUSEH. Until then, the national finance ministers must coordinate their financial issues among themsel!es and #ith the help of the 4ommission. .o#e!er, in anticipation of the ine!itable coming of the USE, the E4 State 6o!ernments agree earlier than anticipated to align the retirement pension systems in the 8ember States. (n particular, the forms for retirement claims by future retirement beneficiaries, #ho ha!e #orked in se!eral 8ember States, are simplified. Thanks to a centrali+ed database, it is no# possible to fill a single claim form for retirement payment at the last place of residence. $ro!isionally, different standards for pensions in different 8ember States are admitted. ,e!ertheless, o!er a period of appro/imately t#enty to thirty years, complete harmonisation in all the 8ember States must be reached. To#ards the end of 1BC3, an agreement on the numbering and the toll of high#ays is reached. They are no# numbered E1, E2, E3, etc. The national AD, A13, etc. disappears completely. (n addition, the toll is abolished and transferred to !ehicles ta/, #hich greatly increases the degree of usefulness of the high#ays. At the same time, the rail#ay net#ork #ill be e/panded so that the transport of goods can progressi!ely be mo!ed from road to rail. Also in late 1BC3, there are considerations regarding the sending, in 1BC0, of European )lympic teams to the games in 9os Angeles. Unfortunately, the time is too short and this #ill only come true for the )lympic 6ames in 1BCC in Seoul. .o#e!er, sending a European football team in 1BCD to 8e/ico might be feasible, although the practical implications arenFt clear yet. ,o# that the European 4ommunityAs economic and political success is undeniable, #e see a considerable migratory pressure e/erting on E4 countries. (n particular, citi+ens of the third #orld #ant to immigrate into the 4ommunity and this for humanitarian Ge.g. from countries #ith totalitarian regimesH but also for economic reasons. (n 1BC0, these circumstances lead to an immigration policy across the 4ommunity #hich must be follo#ed by all E4 countries. (t is a mi/ture of selecti!ity Gpersons #ith competences that are needed in the E4 ha!e priorityH and the right of asylum. This right #ill of course be maintained, but in each case the conditions are e/amined according to strict standards. (n practice ho#e!er, things are more complicated and compromises are needed if one does not #ish to e/pose the asylum seekers to long and painful procedures. &ut on the economic front, the promotion of selecti!e immigration is a great success. Unfortunately, this same selecti!e immigration has as a side effect, that there are citi+ens, #ho do not accept this #a!e of immigration. Thus there is a certain re!i!al of a radical right#ing political mo!ement, e!en if it occurs at a fairly lo# le!el and can be dealt #ith.
In "arch 19A9! while we are still in (anada! an accident occurs at the &hree "ile Island nuclear generating station near #arrisburg ?to the West of 2ew 6or$ (ity and 2orth of Washington! 1%(%@ involving the melting of a reactor core% Out of this accident! a movement soon develops in the 'ederal )epublic of *ermany! which can be summed up with the slogan M-tom$raft 9 2ein 1an$eM ?nuclear energy 9 no than$s@ and which

3I

gradually leads to the resolution of abandonment of nuclear energy in *ermany% &herefore! no new nuclear power plant is planned in *ermany from that year onwards% &he reprocessing plant at Wac$ersdorf will not be finished and the fuel manufacturing plant for mixed uranium9plutonium oxide ?"OZ@ fuel at the #anau facility will be closed down a little later% In 19 C! construction of the last reactor! I0-) C[O#7! which has already been planned a long time ago! is going ahead% &he nuclear industry reali=es soon that security of uranium supply is no longer a top priority% -s a result my company begins gradually to decrease uranium exploration and production activities% -s usual! management tries to reassure employees and explains that they have no reason to worry: the company is strong and *ermany still needs uranium for its existing reactors and those under construction% -lso! there are reasons for assuming that public opinion will soon change% &his has not prevented us from reading and interpreting the signs of the time and wor$ out a strategy for a return to Europe% +y the way! Italy and -ustria are following similar strategies! even closing down their reactors% -s already mentioned at the end of the section M0econd phaseM! we are not convinced that definitely staying in (anada might one day be the right decision% 0ocial! political! economic progress is ta$ing place in Europe and we want to be part of it% 1uring the last four months! I/m on a mission to 0as$atoon ?0as$atchewan! Western (anada@! to where I do not bring my family% Instead! they return already to ,aris! where! after the period in &ogo! we had bought an apartment% 0as$atoon offers me the opportunity to get to $now Western (anada! where I trac$ around the 5a$es of the 2orth such as *reat +ear 5a$e and *reat 0lave 5a$e! as well as 6ellow9<nife and some other northern locations% 'ishing is a lot of fun% 5arge pi$e and salmon trout are so numerous that it is easy to get one at the hoo$ of the fishing line% 0wimming at a few degrees above =ero does not go without a large effort of self9control but is at the same time Duite pleasant% - trip to Eancouver and beyond gets me to $now a largely (hinese city and almost tropical vegetation in the relatively warm microclimate of the 'ra=er Ealley! where temperatures never fall below =ero degrees (elsius% In 1ecember 19 G! I 4oin my family in ,aris! where I am Duic$ly getting about loo$ing for a new 4ob! which is not so easy this time% -fter a few months of temporary wor$ and unemployment I find a 4ob at the -gency for nuclear energy ?2E-@ of the OE(1! where I am responsible for the area of uranium supply and demand and the description of the economics of recycling of plutonium in pressuri=ed water reactors% I get a contract for three years and an extension of two years at the end of the first three years% 1uring these years! I am often in Eienna! where I wor$ with a colleague in a pro4ect where the two international agencies for nuclear energy! the one in ,aris ?2E-@ and the other in Eienna ?International -tomic Energy -gency! I-E-@! are involved% -t this time! I also meet "ohamed El +aradei! the future 0ecretary *eneral of the I-E- in Eienna% &his is the same man who in C311[1C[1G represents the Egyptian opposition at first against #osni "ubara$ and later against "ohamed "orsi% &he return to ,aris gives me the opportunity to reintegrate into Europe and also to live a more conscious experience of the political and economic situation in the European (ommunity% &hese five years allow us to lead a somewhat Duieter life in ,aris% We shall now also see more of the countryside in 'rance% We travel around in +urgundy! ,Krigor! 1ordogne! -lsace! the "assif (entral! ,rovence! (\te d/-=ur! +rittany! 2ormandy! and in many other regions% 'rance is a magnificent country! extremely diverse and really beautiful% ,aris is an architecturally harmonious and balanced city! and at the same time restless but fascinating% We never get bored% &he traffic is a bit chaotic and exceeds the capacity of the available infrastructure% +ut culturally the city is envied everywhere in the world% Each museum is a gem! and there is abundance of theatres and concert halls% I am happy to live here with my family and to have found a second home%

3C

7inally, there #e are- in 1BC> the E4 States unite into a 7ederal Union- the United States of Europe or USE is born and thus the here*and*there still persistent cacophony of the community of nations has come to an end. The Union is gi!en a democratic 4onstitution that deser!es its name Gnot 1ust a treaty, as #as al#ays the case in the pastH. (t is formulated similarly to the 4onstitution of the US, i.e. in a short and concise #ay so that it is understood by all citi+ens of the Union. The contents of e/isting constitutions of federations, such as for S#it+erland, the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany and the United States of America, are the models. (t should be noted, ho#e!er, that the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany insists on preser!ing the right, to include the 9Wnder of the 6@" in the federation, should the opportunity arise. The European president is directly elected by the citi+ens. (n this direct election, ?ac2ues @elors becomes $resident of the Union for fi!e years. After fi!e years of $residency, he may stand as a candidate only once more. The ma/imum duration of the mandate of a president is therefore limited to ten years. Then, another candidate is elected. The 4ommission is abolished and replaced by the 6o!ernment of the USE. $arliament retains its function, but is in!ested #ith more po#ers. To rene# the $arliament and the 6o!ernment, elections are also held e!ery fi!e years. The European passport, the Europass, #ithout mention of the old AnationalityA, becomes standard. 6eneral citi+enship is no# that of the USE. The creation of this federation #ith its associated elections only e!ery fi!e years at the le!el of the Union put a definiti!e end to the uncertainties associated #ith the national elections, #hich sometimes substantially slo# the progress to a ne# more dynamic political entity. The population is happy to no longer ha!e to endure moments of paralysis of the institutions due to policy changes in one or another of the States. 8oreo!er, at the beginning of 1BCD, the ci!il society is strengthened through the introduction, #ithin the USE, of participatory democracy. The ci!il society is not part of the political po#er, but is consulted on important issues that significantly affect life in the Union Gfor e/ample relations bet#een different religious communities and the StateH or relations #ith other countries or economic and military blocs. Suestions such as social policy, health, the economy, domestic*, foreign*, defence*policies etc., #ill be addressed #ith more citi+en in!ol!ement, #hich brings the Union e!er closer to its people. The places, #here participatory democracy can be e/ercised, do already e/ist- the to#n halls of large and small cities and !illages.B (n addition to the creation of a 8inistry of the (nterior, 7oreign "elations, Economy, Social Affairs, and .ealth, it is also !ital to create a 8inistry of 7inance at the federal le!el, since the United States of Europe does no# ha!e its o#n ta/ re!enues and a proper budget. .ere #e ha!e for the first time an effecti!e instrument to use AnationalA incomes and e/penditures of 8ember States for purposes that make sense at the federal le!el and thus for the #hole Union and to ensure that this continues. An important e/tension of the USE is imminent- in 1BCD Spain and $ortugal 1oin the Union. They are already candidates for se!eral years and ha!e stabili+ed their currencies #ithin a predetermined narro# range of e/change rates. (t is no# easy for them to adopt the Euro. Economically, they ha!e made good progress since they ha!e announced their candidacy. (n anticipation of the imminent accession of these countries, a fe# large companies ha!e already
B

An article to &e recommended on @)articipative 1emocrac!@ is located on the "e& page A5uropean Association o$ ,eachersB at the address http://www.aede.eu/uk/7+8participative8dem.html

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in!ested early on in $ortugal and Spain to take ad!antage of local conditions Gthese countries may yet maintain their cost ad!antage, and the ad!antage of their balanced economic, financial and social policy long enough to further catch up #ith the e/isting members.H At the football orld 4up in 1BCD in 8e/ico, the EadditionalE European football team keeps up #ell and #ins the third place on the #innerAs podium. E!en though not all football fans are e/cited about this, it is still a great success for the European Union. Since the USE has taken concrete form, they seek acceptance as a permanent member in the U, Security 4ouncil. 7ortunately in 1BCI, 7rance, as a con!inced member of the USE, is ready to lea!e its place to the European Union. (n a sense, it is the culmination of efforts by the European Union to regain a leading role on the international stage and to e/press it #ith dignity. (n the So!iet Union, 8ichael 6orbache! is first Secretary since 1BC>. The e/emplary e!olution in Europe makes it easier for him to reform the So!iet system. .e manages to loosen the reins of domestic policy and at the same time to introduce skilled reforms to encourage indi!idual So!iet republics to remain in the Union, #ith the e/ception of the &altic "epublics, #hich ha!e long aspired to independence. The republics of the 4aucasus such as 6eorgia, A+erbai1an and Armenia, as #ell as the republics of the ,orthern 4aucasus such as @agestan, (ngushetia and 4hechnya, #here riots break out all too often, are also candidates for independence. .o#e!er, one or the other of the Asian republics must also be seen as uncertain candidates. The So!iet Union is renamed AEurasian 7ederationA. The 4entral European satellite*States such as $oland and the 6@", 4+echoslo!akia, .ungary, "omania, &ulgaria are released from the So!iet embrace and can no# determine their o#n fate. There are barely any dramatic incidents or conflicts. All this is happening 2uite peacefully. &ut the leaders of the 6@" 2uickly lose their credibility among the population, #hich no# demands #ith e!er more insistence the opening of borders to the est. Mielding to the pressure of 6orbache!, the borders are finally opened and the 6o!ernment is re!amped. The ne# 6o!ernment immediately enters into negotiations #ith the 6o!ernment of the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany to prepare re*unification. (n parallel to these negotiations, the 6erman federal 6o!ernment consults #ith the 6o!ernment of the USE and obtains assurance of support for re*unification under optimal conditions. Thus, in 1BCC, earlier than e/pected, the 6erman @emocratic "epublic 1oins simultaneously the United States of Europe and the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany. The same year, the )lympic 6ames are held in Seoul. This time, the USE sends its )lympic teams to the 6ames. 7ortunately, they had enough time to prepare for this challenge. They #in medals in almost all )lympic disciplines and on the #hole, the USE comes out on fourth rank. A !ery good performance% This result is percei!ed as a great success for ;Europe=. 7or the first time, ;Europe= presents itself as a single entity e!en in the field of sports. The sense of cohesion #ithin the USE continues to gro# and, on this occasion, gi!es #ay to real enthusiasm%
We experience the economic and political conseDuences of the *erman reunification from a distance in 5ondon! where we live since 19 9% It is in this exciting city that! luc$ily! I find employment with an association from the private sector in the field of civil nuclear energy and where we stay until the end of 199C% We live in the 1istrict of 0outh <ensington! the /'rench/ sector of 5ondon! close to -lbert #all and the 2atural #istory "useum% *iven that the integration of the "ember 0tates of the 70E is already well

0J

advanced! the *erman reunification does not pose any threat to other European countries 9 including the 7nited <ingdom 9 and it proceeds therefore smoothly without any problem for any country% In particular the 70 *overnment! still under )onald )eagan and soon *eorges #%W% +ush! gives its unconditional support for this turning9 point in history% -s we are not necessarily living a Duiet life in this city! the three years in 5ondon go by very Duic$ly% I travel a lot within Europe! but also to -sia and 2orth -merica% Wherever I travel in -sia: (hina! Lapan! Eiet 2am! India! &aiwan! &hailand! I see how *overnment officials and ordinary citi=ens admire the European model% Everywhere I perceive the sympathy that people feel towards the European 7nion% 0o far! the -0E-2 countries have failed to build a model that might wor$ in a similar way% (ultures and interests are perhaps too different for forging a 7nion that goes beyond what economic interests dictate% -nnie wor$s for an exclusive fashion boutiDue owned by a 'rench 5ady in <nightsbridge! near the #arrods department store in 5ondon% Our children attend school at the ]5ycKe (harles de *aulle^! a 'rench high9school% What surprises us most in 5ondon is the huge gap between rich and poor! the important role of the -nglican (hurch in the area of real estate! as well as the role of the old and new nobility% &he constitutional monarchy has helped preserve much of old structures% -part from that! 5ondon is of course an extremely interesting and dynamic metropolis% Especially our youngest daughter falls in love with 5ondon and she will spend an Erasmus year there ?B months@ after our return to ,aris% In comparison with ,aris! 5ondon is much more heterogeneous: over the centuries the city has built the new next to the old and this has not always happened in a congruous way% -s in most of the great capitals! income disparities are also visible in the architecture of the various districts% In the East9End lives a population that has Duite obviously not been spoiled by destiny% -t the same time! modern pro4ects! such as the 1oc$lands! provide a welcome change% What stri$es! is how the +ritish Empire is still alive today in many places of the city% )egarding this aspect! 5ondon has something in common with Eienna! the other great capital of another great European empire! which! by the way! has been among my possible choices before going to 5ondon%

The United :ingdom li!es a national life outside of the United States of Europe and dra#s ob!iously, at least for the time being, no ma1or incon!eniences from this political decision. The country has an association agreement #ith the USE, #hich functions as an assurance against economic dra#backs. The city of 9ondon is still a strong financial centre, e!en though it had to cede a lot of influence to European stock e/changes. The country has still no mechanisms and institutions to curb the +eal of its financial institutions and to protect them from themsel!es. The de*industrialisation of the country makes further progress and the dependence on the financial sector as an economic factor gro#s e!ery year. To the e/tent that the oil and natural gas reser!es diminish, unemployment gro#s o!er the years, increasing almost unnoticeably but steadily. 6reat*&ritain is approaching an uncertain future.
-fter obtaining the baccalaureat[-bitur ?-9level certificate@ in 5ondon! our son wishes to pursue his studies in ,aris and returns to 'rance% &wo years later he needs us and if we do not want him to go off the rails! we must return to ,aris as well% Once bac$ in ,aris! I succeed to meet our needs ?no unemployment compensation is granted! because I have left my 4ob in 5ondon on a Mvoluntary; basis@ by performing a few geological missions to -frica for one of the European agencies until in early 199G! I find a 4ob with another industry association in ,aris% &his time! it is in the field of industrial research and development ?) _ 1@! where I am hired as M1eputy 0ecretary *eneralM% (uriously enough! after having searched for a 4ob for six months! I have now the choice between this position and another one for the nuclear industry% #owever! most countries in

01

Europe are now turning their bac$ on nuclear power% In 19 B! a reactor of the )"+<9 1333 series at (hernobyl in 7$raine explodes and causes serious radioactive contamination in a large area and! as a conseDuence! many deaths% 'or me! this event has removed the desire to continue wor$ing in this industry once a different choice is available% I therefore decide to accept the position of 10*% &his European association matches my expectations by encouraging cooperation between European companies% It organi=es several round tables per month as well as wor$ing groups and conferences for representatives of different sectors of the industry% #ere I can play out my European preference% 0oon! we have good relations with companies in ,oland! #ungary! 0lovenia and the (=ech )epublic! and progressively a certain number of them become members of our association% "y family is happy to be bac$ in ,aris! and our son lives an /orderly life/ once again and continues his studies at university%

The reunification of the t#o 6ermanys brings the theme of consistency of pensions and ta/ation schemes to the fore, #hich forces the 6o!ernment of the European Union and the $arliament to urgently and e/tensi!ely deal #ith these topics. 7inally, it is agreed to prepare a &ill to address these issues and propose it to parliament before 1BB3. These la#s must then be implemented and adopted prior to 1BB> and then gradually put into practice during 1BBI and 1BBC. After the admission of Spain and $ortugal, the 2uestion is #ho else may still be admitted to the USE. (n 1BCB, a definition of the ultimate potential e/ternal borders of the USE is appro!ed. (n this conte/t, the definition of Europe is not geographical but based on the political, economic, cultural and military reality. (t is agreed that the countries of ,orthern Europe and of 4entral and South*Eastern Europe, including Mugosla!ia Gor the ne# States emerging from the disintegration of Mugosla!iaH and Albania should ha!e the possibility to 1oin the Union. (n addition, admission #ould also be possible for Turkey if it so #ishes, pro!ided that the conditions of political and economic stability, as #ell as of democratic principles are fulfilled. Turkey has the ambition to adopt a estern economic and political model and has made great progress in particular on the economic front but also at the political le!el and in the field of democracy. The friendly relations bet#een Turkey and the European Union ha!e led to the peaceful resolution of the 4yprus problem. 4yprus is no# reunified under a neutral 6o!ernment. The #estern republics of the Eurasian 7ederation Gformer USS"H, Ukraine and &elarus, remain out of their free #ill #ithin the Eurasian 7ederation. The ne/t fe# years are marked by efforts to bring the ne# 9Wnder Gof the former 6@"H up to a similar standard of li!ing of the old 9Wnder Gof the 7"6 before reunificationH, #hich puts the financial possibilities to the test, but produces the e/pected results #ithin a fe# years. At the same time there is an intensi!e discussion in the United States of Europe about ho# its political structure should look like in the future. (t is agreed that temporarily Gup to 2J1JH the USE should remain a three*tiered structure #here the le!el of the States is subordinate to the 7ederal le!el and the le!el of the regions being in turn subordinate to the States le!el. 8any fields of competence, such as defence, central ta/ation Gaccording to a fi/ed percentage of total re!enueH, a large part of the legislation, a part still to be determined of research spending and a fe# other competences are transferred from the States to the 7ederal le!el. States retain- almost unlimited po#ers at the le!el of ?ustice Gapart from the po#ers of the European 4ourt of ?ustice in 9u/embourgH5 partially limited competences at the le!el of ta/ re!enues and the education system5 and !ery limited competences at the le!el of legislation, promotion of "Q@ and science, industry, agriculture, infrastructure and the like. Thus, the States retain 2uite a fe# competences, or at least parts thereof. .o#e!er, they must at the same time in!ol!e the regions in European and national decisions, as #ell as in the implementation of

02

decisions and la#s in order to achie!e a negotiated consensus #ith them. (n specific cases, #hich must be defined #ith precision, regions may be !oted do#n by national 6o!ernments. The States represent the intermediate le!el bet#een the federal 6o!ernment and the regions, #hich in turn are rapidly gaining political and economic influence. The regions ha!e their o#n income ta/ and policy of education Gboth in the predetermined EU frame#orkH, pro1ect and research funding, cultural policy and urban planning, etc. Austria, 7inland, S#eden, ,or#ay and Turkey 1oin the USE in 1BB>. (n addition to the first three countries GAustria, 7inland, S#edenH fulfilling the conditions of accession for some time already, there is also Turkey, a candidate since many years. (ts first application dates back to 1B>B. 7our years later, Turkey is granted an association agreement. (n 1BBJ * it is politically stable and fast de!eloping economically K the country becomes an official candidate and finally 1oins the USE in 1BB>, together #ith the other three countries. Surprisingly, a fe# years ago, also ,or#ay had asked for membership to the USE. (t can no longer escape the attraction of this e/emplary Union, e!en if it could continue to muddle through as an independent State for a fe# more decades, thanks to its natural gas and oil deposits. As the fi!e ne# members ha!e been a#are of the timetable for the ne/t steps on the road to unification of the ta/ation and pension systems long before their accession to the Union, and because they ha!e appro!ed these measures at the time #hen they #ere decided, no political difficulties are no# encountered for their implementation. #n '>>03 the United 1tate of E$!ope decide to b$ild a pace tation on the ,oon? The fi! t ,od$le ho$ld be ope!ational b/ +99+? The!e i a h$)e cientific3 technolo)ical and lo)i tical challen)e to ,a te! if :e :ant to p!o5e to the :o!ld that E$!ope i n@t /et A$ t )ood fo! the c!ap heap? As the European defence e/penditure is relati!ely lo#, this financial effort is regarded as acceptable and bearable. At the same time research and de!elopment is done for a stationary European Space Station GESSH, #hich #ould be linked to earth by a Arope A. Synthetic fibres that do already e/ist today gi!e hope that one day #e may succeed in engineering one that can #ithstand the huge tensile stresses in!ol!ed to keep a space station attached to earth. These fibres must be sufficiently resistant to traction that they can #ithstand the tension produced by their o#n #eight along the distance bet#een the ESS and the EarthAs surface plus the centrifugal forces e/erted by the ESS itself. ith the already e/isting fibre E@ynemaE #e are no longer that far from this utopian dream than e!en a fe# years ago. 8aybe #e can accomplish this one day #ith nanotechnology and carbon nanotubes * but this #ill be possible only if carbon nanotubes can be gro#n in sufficient length to #ea!e them, #hich is e!idently not the case at all today. 9etFs come back to the more prosaic issue of national !ersus European pension systems. As mentioned abo!e, from 1BBI on#ards, these systems are largely being standardised and centralised on the European le!el, #hile preparations for this mo!e are already under#ay since 1BC3. As a result, future retirees #ho #ish to obtain their retirement emoluments at the place of their current residence and #ho, during their #orking life, ha!e #orked in !arious States of the USE are no# merely re2uired to fill in a !ery simplified form. As also mentioned already, this is possible thanks to a central electronic database. Today, #e li!e in a #orld #here the gap bet#een rich and poor is getting #ider and #ider. )n the one hand, #e ha!e an increasing number of !ery rich indi!iduals and on the other hand a rapidly increasing number of poor and !ery poor people. As a result, the middle*class population is 2uietly shrinking. The 7inancial Times regularly #rites articles on this sub1ect, in particular on the situation in the USA. )f course the !ery #ell*heeled indi!iduals of the

03

super*rich class and their families #ill in!est a portion of their capital in goods and consumer durables. As these goods are preferably lu/ury products, the effect of redistribution of #ealth is #eak, and the result is again the concentration of capital in !ery fe# hands, like for e/ample 9ouis Ouitton, 4hanel, 7errari or large reno#ned real estate agencies, etc. The rest of this untold #ealth #ill be in!ested in financial markets or other unproducti!e targets. To remedy this unsatisfactory situation, the ta/ system is finally radically redesigned as soon as 1BBC and at the same time rendered as simple and understandable as possible. At #hate!er le!el, #orkers can no# e/pect simple rules #hen they start a 1ob outside their o#n USE State, and their mobility has impro!ed considerably as a result. (n turn, this has a !ery positi!e impact on the USE economy. The ta/ system is progressi!e #ith 1J successi!e le!els of ta/ation up to EU" 2 million income for a household, #here the rate of IJU to CJU is applied Ganything abo!e 2 million Euro is ta/ed at IJ to CJ percent * the e/act ceiling of income and ta/ rates for each successi!e le!el needs to be thoroughly thought through as economic considerations ha!e to be taken into account and the agreed thresholds need to follo# inflation le!elsH. The result is that the income cur!e flattens G!ery high incomes become more seldom and do not attain the astronomic sums as before since it is not #orth#hile to earn so much money. )n the other hand, lo# incomes are barely ta/ed and a!erage incomes only moderatelyH. The entire population can thus better participate in the economic life of the Union and the foolish income disparities that ha!e become the standard for e/ample in the United States of America are becoming more and more the e/ception in Europe. (t turns out that for only !ery fe# Emega*richE indi!iduals this situation is a reason for lea!ing the USE altogether. The demand for megalomaniacal Top*managers larger than life GAlpha malesH in the #orld is limited. The same applies to the EbigE bankers and fund managers. They ha!e a #ay to push the banks to the brink of the abyss as more normal bankers, #ho take fe#er risks, could ne!er do it. 8ore normality should also be introduced in other sectors of the economy. @o #e need the Asuperstars A' 8aybe #e can oppose something more human to the saying Amoney rules the #orldF' 7inally, in 1BBB, a 4entral European Stock E/change #ith head2uarters in $aris is created. Ethical rules, #hich #ill considerably complicate speculation and encourage in!estment in the long term, especially in young companies #ith strong economic or societal potential, #ill be imposed. The system of support for Start*ups is amended in the sense that young entrepreneurs are encouraged to accompany their companies in their gro#th and to not keep their eyes ri!eted on the ne/t opportunity to sell as 2uickly and as cost*effecti!ely as possible. The Stock E/change must again become the financial institution #hich it #as long ago- a place #here companies can seek reliable and long*term in!estors. These in!estors e/change their money for shares so that entrepreneurs can #ork and e/pand their radius of action5 rene# their machines5 do research and de!elopment for inno!ation5 introduce ne# #orking methods, etc. The E/change might also remain a place #here creators of businesses can obtain the capital necessary for the creation of their ne# businesses. .o#e!er, it #ould perhaps be better those banks, #hich ha!e more e/perience in the assessment of the risks in!ol!ed in the in!estment of company creation, pro!ide this capital. The money borro#ed from banks is subse2uently easier to repay than share capital, #hich might ha!e increased ten times, a hundred times, e!en thousand times from the original share !alue. Under the latter circumstances, #here money comes from the stock market, the entrepreneur has often no other choice but to sell #hen his company starts to be profitable. 8ean#hile, se!eral 4entral European countries are already 2ueuing for some time to become members of the USE and in the year 2JJJ it is time for Slo!akia, .ungary, $oland, the 4+ech

00

"epublic and Slo!enia to 1oin the United States of Europe. All of these countries are former satellite States of the So!iet Union or parts thereof Ge.g. Slo!enia, formerly an integral part of Mugosla!iaH ha!ing become independent. &ut they all made economic and democratic progress since being freed from the So!iet tutelage. Their entry into the USE does not gi!e rise to any specific difficulty. (n particular the 4+ech president Oacla! .a!el facilitates the integration of his country #ith great sensiti!ity * after all, he is the philosopher $resident, as his fello# countrymen call him.
&he European industry association for research and development! for which I continue to wor$! creates a climate of trust between its members and thus gives them the feeling of belonging to a European family% I/m glad to exercise a 4ob that is regarded as useful! productive! and serving the European cause by all% Eastern European companies will soon 4oin this association%

(n )ctober 2JJ1 a ne# #ar begins- in Afghanistan the USA and its allies fight the Taliban. The latter are 2uickly forced to retreat to $akistan. (mmediately after the defeat of the Taliban and on the resolute ad!ice of the USE, enormous sums are in!ested in the agricultural sector, in some sectors of industry that ha!e a link to Afghan traditions and in infrastructure and housing programmes, as #ell as in the creation of an efficient Afghan army, all of #hich results in the rapid generation of a huge number of 1obs. The United States of Europe contributes its share to these initiati!es. The Afghan population is 2uickly #on o!er by this de!elopment. Since the days of So!iet domination, there is fortunately a #ell educated population in :abul and in particular #omen are happy to regain their freedom. 7or rural populations, there is a programme for establishing schools and hospitals #here!er there is a need for them. ,o condition for this assistance is asked in return. After three years, the country is economically, militarily and mentally strong enough and at the same time resilient against the ideological and religious propaganda of the Taliban, that the foreign troops can be gradually remo!ed. (n Europe, the moment has no# come to gi!e more political #eight to the regions of the USE. (n 2JJ1, a constitutional amendment is introduced, #hich aims at transferring more po#ers to the regions so they can make their !oice better heard. This concerns in particular the policy of education, culture, and industry location. ith respect to these domains, regions can form coalitions #ith regions in the same State or in other States of the Union and directly address proposals to the federal 6o!ernment. @ecisions may be taken by a simple ma1ority, #here the regions are #eighted according to the population. "esponsibility for financial compensation bet#een rich and poor regions is assumed directly by the regions. To do this, an institution is created, that carries out this financial compensation according to ob1ecti!e criteria and in #hich all regions are represented #ith an e/pert each. The former political capitals of countries retain a special cultural role Gcultural capitalsH. (n their sphere of influence, an important part of the cultural life of the geographical and linguistic area that they represent takes place, continuing to enrich the EnationalE languages. (n addition, the arts that are not related to spoken or #ritten language find also fertile ground in these large cities, thanks to the e/istence of the appropriate amenities, 1ust as before their change of status. (n addition, these cities #ill defend their traditional economic supremacy in the ma1ority of cases Geconomic capitalsH. &ut the regions become not only politically, but also economically stronger and their cities, large and small, ha!e their share in this de!elopment. Surprisingly, after some time, this e!olution has as a conse2uence that some regions #ill form a coalition to create e/tended encla!es #ithin these regions, #here people, #ho #ant to find ne# #ays of life, far from the industrial and financial #orld, can settle. (f those indi!iduals 0>

do not ha!e the means for a ne# start in life because they are unemployed for already se!eral years, they #ill get some material help for a ne# beginning in these encla!es. (f this model #orks, unemployment could become a disappearing phenomenon. (n these geographical areas, there #ill be, at least for a #hile, no cars and no industry. E!erything #ould be done by hand or by using horses or other animals. That this can #ork is still pro!en today by the 8ennonites GAmish peopleH in ,orth America. (n this #ay a fantastic outlet for the long*term unemployed #ould be generated. (f the economy reco!ers, then those #ho #ish can return to A4i!ilisation A. (n t#o or three regions, particularly in the region of Au!ergne in 7rance and in 8ecklenburg* estern $omerania in 6ermany, this model becomes a reality, and it #orks. They recei!e e!en the influ/ of people coming from professions, #here there is no unemployment problem. At the same time, it must be ensured that the system does not become mandatory for the unemployed, as a return to the #orld of employment is generally still possible at least for the first and may be for the second year of unemployment. )n the other hand, gi!en that this de!ice #orks, the supply of labour is reduced to such an e/tent that the pressure on #ages in the ;real= economy is easing and employees and #orkers can again e/pect better #ages and salaries. This aspect #orks all the better as many other citi+ens feel attracted by the societal model in these regions. A parallel society can thus form in these areas and ne# #ays of li!ing together can be found. ,e# #ays of mutual fertili+ation bet#een modern society and this #holly different and much calmer and more balanced parallel society #ill open up. A further !ery positi!e effect of the return to the regions is that e!en the 1udiciary is decentrali+ed, #hich can significantly impro!e the penitentiary system. e all kno# that the prisons are o!ercro#ded and ma1or criminals, because of lack of place and staff, are often mi/ed #ith minor sinners. Some of the latter are in fact recei!ing training there to become real criminals. hen they finally lea!e prison, they #ill actually start to commit crimes, #hich is not really the intended result. ith the decentrali+ation of the 1udiciary and the prison system, i.e. the e/ecution of the sentence, #e can perhaps return to a more human dimension and better adapt the degree of punishment and the prison system to the degree and category of the offence and the offender. (n particular, the e/ecution of the penalty for crimes of lesser importance can include repair and reconciliation #ith the !ictims, so that both parties can ha!e an opportunity to find inner peace. 9ocal legislation is more human compared to the institutionalised 1ustice of the State and offers a much better chance for offenders to reintegrate in the GlocalH community. (n other #ords, the rehabilitation can be more successful. ( also belie!e that adding more local aspects brings about more humanity in community life. 7or e/ample, #e #onAt let old people die lonely in nursing homes or in the death corridors of hospitals and under miserable conditions. $erhaps #e can also ultimately distance oursel!es from the e/treme competition of all against all and #hich makes us sick' At the regional and local le!el there is less need for this kind of competition. As e/pected, the first module of the European lunar station opens in ?une 2JJ2. This is a great day for Europe, #hich has no# demonstrated to the #orld that it can not only participate in the concert of the space po#ers, but that it is also able to play a leading role. (n 8arch 2JJ3, the third 6ulf #ar in (ra2 begins. The United States of America and 6reat* &ritain 2uickly o!ercome (ra2i forces and then try to stabili+e the situation. The USE successfully con!inces the USA and &ritain that this can only succeed using a fast and

0D

effecti!e program of massi!e 1ob creation for the population. )nce again, the USE is contributing to this effort in terms of financial and material assistance and through the supply of e/pertise. (n a fe# months, the population is con!inced that Ethe occupationE by foreign troops #onAt last long and that the country #ill be better off than before. Skilled negotiations #ith the representati!es of different religious trends and groups such as the :urds, 2uickly lead to a transitional 6o!ernment that #ill be democratically confirmed after t#o years. Taking into account the e!olution a#ay from global conflicts and to#ards the ;management= of local conflicts, operations of European Armed 7orces in the #orld no longer need the support of an army of conscripts. (t #as therefore decided in 2JJ3 to create a professional European Army and to abolish conscription in the USE. (n the follo#ing years, the &altic States, 8alta and 4yprus #ith the t#o separated regions again united G2JJ0H, 4roatia, 8acedonia, 8ontenegro, Serbia and :oso!o G2JJDH and &ulgaria, "omania and Albania G2JJCH 1oin the United States of Europe. As the rules are clear, these accessions happen #ithout ma1or problems, e!en if much remains to be done to raise the ne# members to an economic le!el comparable to the e/isting EU States. The European Union as a 7ederation, i.e. the USE, is no# complete, #ith the e/ception of S#it+erland, #hich also 2uestions its status and e/amines if it can be maintained o!er time. Andorra and 8onaco do not 2uite kno# ho# they should beha!e. 9iechtenstein #ill probably 1oin the path that S#it+erland #ill finally take. &ut here #e do no longer deal #ith !ery important issues for Europe.
-fter the completion of the European 'ederation in C339! I 4ust turn B5 and am going to retire% &he ad4ustment of the pension schemes to the new realities of the 7nited 0tates of Europe is a blessing for me% I fill out a form! submit it three months before retirement in ,aris and get my pension payments on time three months later% Only for my three years in 5ondon! I have to fill out an additional form! because this country is not a member of the 7E0Q but the +ritish are very pragmatic and un9bureaucratic% Even in this case I get my retirement emoluments 4ust in time% &he following year! I start wor$ as a volunteer for a youth organi=ation in ,aris% &his organisation has also a European mission% It has branches in almost all regions of 'rance! while being itself a branch of a European organisation! which in turn is a branch of a worldwide organisation% It promotes entrepreneurship while teaching and practicing it at school with the active participation of young students% In addition! it promotes the scientific and engineering professions highlighting their potential% "y enthusiasm for Europe finds once again a practical application%

(t should be mention here in passing that bet#een 2JJI and 2JJC a banking crisis occurs in the USA and the United :ingdom, triggered by the granting of real estate loans #ithout effecti!e control and then packaging them into deri!ati!es. (n Europe, #e do not really feel concerned by this American and &ritish financial crisis, e/cept for a slight decline in e/ports to the United States of America, #hich is partially offset by e/ports to Asia. The regulation of banking acti!ities in Europe sa!es the AnormalA European banks from participation in the race for repackaged Gderi!atesH shaky bank loans for the ac2uisition of real estate by often poorly endo#ed indi!iduals. At the same time, the purchase of deri!ati!es in general by other financial institutions Gin!estment banks, etc.H has decreased in Europe to the e/tent, that no harm is done. $rudent fiscal management also sa!es the 8ember States of the USE from a drastic increase of public debt.

0I

Europe as a 7ederation must no# deal #ith some sensiti!e issues- (f today there is finally a European identity besides or maybe e!en on top of a national or regional identity, ho# then should #e handle the moral obligations arising from !arious historical e!ents for countries like 6ermany, 7rance and some others' ( refer for e/ample to the Second orld ar and the atrocities that the ?e#ish population of Europe has suffered. The result is a moral obligation for 6ermany to#ards the ?e#ish people and (srael. 4an the United States of Europe take this obligation onto its o#n account and does it #ant to do so' (s this e!en desirable' 7rom the point of !ie# of sense of unity, ( #ould ans#er by the affirmati!e. (n the end, orld ar (( is part of European history. (srael #ould #elcome this solidarity. (n this case, Europeans must prepare an e/planation for this assistance !is*X*!is the Arab #orld, #hich #ill not be easy. $olitically speaking, this approach is all but easy and may be is not #orkable after all. &ut it should be #orth trying. (A!e been myself ;!isiting= the e/termination camp at Ausch#it+ as a student #hen, in 1BDD, ( stayed for about ten days in :rako# G$olandH. This !isit to $oland #as organised in the conte/t of the $olish*6erman reconciliation and sponsored by the $rotestant 4hurch in &erlin. ( #ill not here describe the impressions that ( ha!e taken a#ay from Ausch#it+, but ( can assure that, coming out of there, you are no longer the same person as before. )ne should perhaps also ask the 2uestion #hether the .olocaust can really be reduced to the relations of the .itler 6ermany to ?udaism. (n my opinion, the issue goes much further- .o# can it happen that a part of humanity is able to inflict such suffering on another part of humanity' )r more generally- #hat people like you and me can do to others #hen conditions permit' Are there no limits' After all, during the 6erman Empire Gunder &ismarckH, the ?e#s #ere regarded as ordinary citi+ens. They #ere 6ermans of ?e#ish faith as others #ere 6ermans of 4atholic or $rotestant faith. hat had to happen so that such a thing #as possible' E!idently, during the 8iddle*Ages, the ?e#s #ere prosecuted e!ery#here in Europe. Another e/ample might be the Algerian #ar. (f the European 7ederation recogni+es this episode as a European episode and agrees to assume the obligations arising there*from, this #ould surely lead to a substantial impro!ement in relations bet#een the 7rench USE State and Algeria on the one hand and bet#een the USE and Algeria on the other. 6i!en that this issue is less comple/ and less decisi!e for the fate of Europe than the pre!ious 2uestion * and there are ob!ious ad!antages to a European solution * the USE should take this problem in hand and make a step and a gesture to#ards Algeria. 4oncerning 7rance, yet another but 2uite different 2uestion arises- this country still has e/tra* European possessions, #hich are considered o!erseas departments and o!erseas territories. Are they no# automatically departments or territories or regions of the USE' .o# #ill they be administered' (n addition, there is a particularly thorny issue #ith 7rance- #hat #ill become of the 7rench nuclear ;7orce de 7rappe=' (n a genuine federal Union, this capacity of nuclear response to a nuclear attack should be transferred to the 6o!ernment of the Union. ( ha!e a lot of doubts that this #ill happen% So, do #e need to get rid of this ability' 9ast but not least, there remains the issue of the sla!e trade. .ere, se!eral countries ha!e participated5 e!en S#eden. (f Europe as a #hole #ould commit to fulfilling the obligations arising from the historic sla!e trade, the #orldFs public opinion #ould be pleased and full of

0C

praise for the USE. 4oloured people on all continents #ould finally recei!e recognition and compassion for past sufferings. And #hat about the "oma problem'% A possible solution o!er an e/tended period, say fifteen or t#enty years, might be the process of European citi+enship #ith fi/ed residence, schooling for children and the opening of the labour market for these heterogeneous populations in Europe. .o#e!er, it remains to be seen if they #ant this. ThereAs certainly some resistance among certain population groups, #hich must be o!ercome. (t #ill take a positi!e and decisi!e policy to con!ince the "oma that this is a reasonable and mutually satisfactory de!elopment. (n addition, the population referred to as "oma consists of different groupings, some of #hich are already for 2uite some time sedentary and #ell integrated, others are referred to as the Etra!elling peopleE or the Etra!ellersE and still others represent the 6roup of ne# arri!als mainly from "omania, #ho did not ha!e the time and support to integrate. &ut again, Europe has sol!ed other difficult issues and has sho#n repeatedly that it is able to act. here thereAs a #ill, there is also a #ay. Europe #ill also sol!e this problem. (t consciously takes on a di!erse heritage. There are still a number of other issues of this calibre, but ( #ould like to confine myself to a last one- the problem of integration of (slam in European society. ?anuary 1, 2J11, the population of the European Union is estimated at >J2.> million Gabout half a billionH. About DU are 8uslim G3J million peopleH. This proportion in the total population #ill continue to increase and stabili+e perhaps by 2J>J at about 1JU. e cannot but consider (slam as one religion among others in Europe. (n return, European 8uslims should be prepared to submit their confession to the same rules as are obser!ed by the other confessions in Europe. ( think that it #ould be e!en constructi!e to grant (slam the same funding that for e/ample 6ermany, during the time of its e/istence as a country, had granted the 4atholic and $rotestant churchesdeclared belie!ers pay 4hurch ta/es and EchurchesE are financed by this ta/. @eclared 8uslims #ould then pay a religious ta/ and their mos2ues and imams #ould then also be financed by the State. Thus, #e ha!e the absolute e2uality of all official religions in Europe and a peaceful and constructi!e coe/istence. Unfortunately, the reality is different, and this reality is !ery #orrying. )utside Europe, (slam is radicalising e!er more, e!en if it did not e/perience this same radicalisation only a fe# decades ago. (n past centuries, it #as e!en considered as a model of e/emplary tolerance. (n the 8iddle East, at the time of the early medie!al period in Europe, scientific kno#ledge of the ancient 6reeks #as adopted by Arab philosophers Gtranslation of the #orks of Aristotle and others in ArabicH and further de!eloped. )ne could almost say that the enlightenment has arri!ed in the 8iddle East before its o#n medie!al period. The European age of enlightenment could not occur #ithout fertili+ation on the part of the Arab #orld. E!en today, estern society can still learn !ery positi!e aspects for e/ample from the Arab banking system as it is religiously and legally ring fenced in Arab countries% The e/cessi!e profit seeking as practiced in ;the estern #orld= does simply not find fertile ground here. Unfortunately, in the sphere of influence of (slam, there has been a backlash in the name of pure religion and the considerable progress already achie!ed has been #iped out in a short period of time. (t is difficult to imagine that a ne# mo!ement of Enlightenment #ill de!elop in the near future in countries that are at the centre of (slam. The Arab spring has sho#n the po#er of the conser!ati!e forces in these regions. E!en a Are!olutionA #as unable to topple them. That one day influence from the outside #ill help ignite the fire of modernity remains still uncertain. .o#e!er, it is not impossible, and #e hope that it #ill happen one day.

0B

.o#e!er, there are also some rays of hope in more recent history, especially in Europe- #hile in many places in Europe, mos2ues are still built according to the traditional model, there are also e/amples of modern architecture. Thus a !ery modern mos2ue #as built in $en+berg in &a!aria1J. This modernity is thus 2uite possible. (n the end, it is no#here #ritten that a mos2ue must ha!e a minaret or a dome. (t must only be oriented to#ards 8ecca. These inno!ati!e changes allo# us to hope for the emergence of a modern (slamic, at least in Europe. Ultimately, the architecture of a church or a mos2ue is the reflection of the spirit and tolerance of the faithful. Another, !ery successful design is that of la &occa, near 4annes in the South of 7rance. The pro1ect started in 2JJD and the mos2ue should ha!e opened at the end of 2J1211. The pro1ect of Aarhus in @enmark is also a !ery modern design12. (f )scar ,iemeyer, the &ra+ilian architect, #ho designed the city of &rasilia to a !ery large e/tent, #ere still ali!e and could still create Ghe died 1ust at the end of 2J12, fi!e days before his 1J>th birthday and had #orked up to his 1JJth anni!ersaryH, one could ha!e entrusted him #ith the pro1ect of a modern mos2ue. .e #ould ha!e definitely created something #onderful and at the same time light and graceful * 2uite like the lightness and grace of some of the traditional mos2ues, particularly in central Asia, by #hich #e are still charmed today. The faithful #ould ha!e been proud of this #ork. Apart from these glimpses of hope, a great sadness sei+es us #hen #e obser!e ho# the efforts for peace in the European Union could be annihilated by the dark forces that are no# e!ery#here at #ork and that e/ploit religion. (s it not enough that #e ha!e to o!ercome a se!ere financial crisis' (n addition, this other conflict no# threatens our society. 4ould these forces succeed in catapulting us hundreds of years back into the 8iddle Ages' e must appeal to the modern and reformist forces of (slam in Europe- ;8ake your !oice heard beyond the borders of Europe=. )nly a #orld in peace can guarantee prosperity and spiritual and material #ell*being. $ersonally, ( think that the naY!e optimism of the Americans in their #ay of dealing #ith global or regional conflicts and the imperialism of U.S. companies are probably not entirely blameless regarding the re1ection of the A esternA influence in Arab countries5 but the real reasons are certainly lying much deeper. (n the eyes of .assan al*&annZ, the founder of the ;Egyptian brotherhood, #ho #orked bet#een 1BJD and 1B0B in Egypt, the colonisation of the Arab 8editerranean by European po#ers #as a disaster, because it destroyed faith, its depth and its absolute supremacy in public life. .assan al*&annZ re1ected 4ommunist materialism and atheism and estern democratic chaos. .e literally criss*crossed his country as a preacher to ad!ocate a return to pure (slam and has left his supporters behind e!ery#here. .e also belie!ed in a global mission of (slam. 7or him, faith, politics and the State #ere inseparable. Since then the orientation ad!ocated by him has undergone further radicalisation, after a more moderate orientation, promoted by ?amal al*&annZ, his brother, #as nipped in the bud. )ne might compare the mo!ement launched by .assan al*&annZ #ith the resistance against the 6erman occupation in 7rance during the Second orld ar * only at the religious le!el. ith sabotage and !iolence alone, apparently little could be achie!ed at the time, although there #as also substantial sabotage and armed unrest in the Arab #orld at that epoch. (slamic
1J 11

12

see http://www.sonntags&latt-&a!ern.de/news/aktuell/200>8+2827801.htm see http://www.saphirnews.com/Ces-musulmans-de-(annes-s-o$$rent-une-mos/ueedesign8a76++.html see http://mos/uedenmark.org/pro?ect/moskeogislamiskcenter8aarhus8english.pd$

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resistance #as therefore more one of re1ection of foreign influence. A further important difference bet#een the 7rench resistance and the religious Arab resistance is that, #hen the 7rench resistance had achie!ed its goal #ith the end of the 6erman occupation, it then disbanded, #hile the religious Arab resistance, until the election of 8ohammed 8ursi as Egyptian president, #as still !ery far from the creation of at least one true theocracy in the Arab #orld Gthe (ranian theocracy is not part of the Arab #orldH. Any#ay, #e #ill see #hat happens in Egypt in the months and years to come. And then, resistance is only at the beginning, because a number of other Arab States must also be turned inside out. And then there is still the non*Arab #orld that must also be con!erted. e must not forget that the #ounds of colonialism are partly still largely open, as sho#n on the e/ample of Algeria. The #ar of independence has created ne# in1ustices and, so far, the t#o parties, Algeria and 7rance, ha!e not really forgi!en each other. Suffered in1ustices are impressed deep into the memory of the peoples of both sides. A profound gesture of reconciliation by 7rance or the USE #ould be #elcome. 4oming back to (slam- for centuries, it has been a model of tolerance% &ut today, this open* mindedness has disappeared in se!eral 8uslim countries and 4opts and other 4hristians still present in the Arab #orld are no longer accepted in some Arab States. hat happened to that tolerance' At first glance, one might think, that (srael is the focal point of the pseudo*religious aggressi!eness in the Arab area. &ut ( do not think that much #ould change if (srael #ere to disappear from the map. (srael has al#ays been a good scapegoat for all Arab States and the !ictims ha!e been the $alestinians and their politicians, #ho ha!e al#ays refused to compromise. $seudo*religious aggressi!eness #ould 2uickly find other ob1ecti!es, in particular those Arab States that practice a more liberal policy. (t is singularly frightening to see that rational arguments cannot accomplish anything against radical religious e/tremistsF attitudes and that, in some Arab States, these ha!e a huge community of follo#ers. The current ;religious= conflicts are testimony of a struggle for hegemony in the Sunni area of influence, #here Satar supports the 8uslim &rotherhood and Saudi Arabia the Salafists and both are fighting together against the gro#ing influence of the Shiite mo!ement. The .amas organisation in 6a+a stands for Sunni influence and the .e+bollah organisation in 9ebanon for Shiite influence and both are fighting pro/y*#ars against (srael but also for the Sunni and Shiite cause. 4urrently e/treme Sunni groups fight against the regime in Syria and Shiite groups support the Ala#ite regime of Syria that is religiously close to them. hat #ill happen if the e/treme Sunni #in the ci!il #ar' .o#e!er, there is still a glimmer of hope that moderate (slamic forces in Europe and America, more sensiti!e to reason, raise their !oices loudly, so that they are also heard in the Arab #orld and that one day those !oices become irresistible. ho else could stigmati+e the e/cesses of radical (slam than 8uslims li!ing in countries #ith a long tradition of tolerance' )n the other hand, apart from a fe# rare e/ceptions, here on Earth reason is not the strongest force to facilitate the peaceful coe/istence of communities. 7a!ourable circumstances for reason to guide humanity ha!e al#ays been e/tremely rare. &ut they ha!e e/isted and #e hope !ery much that they #ill materiali+e again one day before itAs too late% ith this pledge not to lose hope, #e shall no# proceed to the section E4onsolidation of achie!ements=.

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.o$!th pha e( &on olidation of achie5e,ent

)reface% hat has been achie!ed so far is considerable. (t must no# be consolidated. These efforts of consolidation must start early on in young peopleFs life, i.e. at school- our history can no longer be concei!ed as an essentially national history #ithin a European space. (t must be seen as a European history #ith national chapters. This is ho# it should be taught to students. 7urthermore, as Europe needs safe and affordable sources of energy if #hat has been achie!ed should not be lost again5 efforts to de!elop and secure such sources of energy must be undertaken. )ther#ise, there #ill be ne# economic crises and a large part of the achie!ements #ill again be 2uestioned. e therefore need a common and constructi!e energy policy that takes into account that fossil energy sources are declining or at least more difficult to find and to e/tract and #ill therefore be more and more e/pensi!e. The e/traction of shale oil and gas is not unproblematic and plagued by significant en!ironmental problems. 7or Europe, there is enormous potential for inno!ation in rene#able energy and it should take on this challenge and play a leading role in the #orld. )ther fields of acti!ity for consolidation of the achie!ements are the !arious cultural areas and the field of social inno!ation. ********************** (f #e #ant the achie!ed to be long*lasting, #e must ensure that the ne/t generation gro#s up in a #orld that is accepted by a large ma1ority of adults and that the path to#ards a Union is presented from a European perspecti!e. (f the adult generation does not identify #ith Europe, ho# can #e hope that the younger generation #ill' The best #ay to sho# young people that #e are con!inced Europeans, is teaching history not from a national perspecti!e, but from a European one. (t is, of course, impossible not to mention the national contributions and deeds and e!ents that ha!e shaped European history. &ut #e must a!oid gi!ing too much importance to national aspects, because the purely national interpretation of history can and has lead to conflicts. 7or e/ample, from a purely 7rench national point of !ie#, ,apoleon is a great statesman and military commander, and e!en a hero. This opinion is not necessarily shared by the countries that he tra!ersed #ith his army. E!en the attribution of responsibility for starting orld ar )ne #ill probably need a more neutral analysis. Thus, there are many e/amples #here a more ob1ecti!e 1udgment #ill be re2uired. )ur children should not be influenced by the old #ays of thinking, #hich are often negati!e, but by humanistic, conciliatory and e!en creati!e thoughts. At the same time, #e should gi!e young people the opportunity to ac2uire a 1ust and morally impeccable 1udgment. This acute sense of morality should gi!e the e/treme right#ing parties something to che# and pre!ent them to play an important role in Europe. There are many e/amples of European historical perspecti!es, particularly in the cultural area. The 6othic architecture is a good e/ample of European culture. Since the 12th century, coming out of 7rance, it has left traces almost e!ery#here in Europe, until the neo*6othic style of the 1Bth century, e/cept in regions dominated by )rthodo/ 4hristianity in Eastern and south*eastern Europe. The "enaissance, starting in the 1>th century in (taly, has also spread throughout Europe. 9ater, in the 1Cth century, the era of enlightenment has sooner or later influenced almost all of Europe. 4lassical music, including opera, in the 1Cth and 1Bth century Gand before and afterH is another e/ample. )n this basis, #e may !ery #ell teach European history at school. There are ob!iously many other e/amples. ( do not mention 4hristianity here, because, as a result of the di!ersity of religions that are today present in Europe and the steady decline of the faithful of the 4hristian churches, 4hristianity can no longer be >2

considered the determining engine for the cultural unity of Europe, although its precepts are still crucial elements in education and in the foundation of ethics in general. (n all these phenomena, some cultural spaces, #hich do not necessarily coincide #ith national borders, ha!e played an important role. Thus #e cannot imagine 6othic architecture #ithout 7rance, the "enaissance #ithout (taly, and the century of enlightenment #ithout 7rance, England and the 6erman cultural space #ithin and beyond its changing borders. To gain a better understanding of this aspect, it #ould be beneficial that at school more attention is gi!en to foreign languages. The mastery of languages of European neighbours is a po#erful tool for significantly impro!ing the understanding of other cultures. Already in the 8iddle* Ages, tra!ellers spoke se!eral languages, and this fact has greatly facilitated tra!elling. Especially the aristocracy #as often multilingual. hile being enthusiastic about European history, #e should not forget to also teach non*European history. 4hina, (ndia, ?apan, Egypt, (ran, e!en sub*Saharan Africa and pre*4olumbian America offer important history. Another area of acti!ity for the consolidation of achie!ements is energy policy. (f Europe manages to play a leading role in this area and to strengthen this role, #e #ill also succeed in the future to remain an attracti!e model for the #orld, #orthy of being follo#ed. The ma1or oil companies are still optimistic that there #ill be enough con!entional oil and natural gas o!er the ne/t 3J years and beyond to po#er our industrial and consumer societies. 4ertainly, there #ill still be petroleum around in 1JJ years from no# and geolosts #ill continue to look for more and perhaps e!en find some. .o#e!er, for some time already, fe#er ne# economically reco!erable oil resources are found than e/isting ones are consumed. The ne# oil fields that are disco!ered today are often relati!ely small, offshore, e/pensi!e, and difficult to access and e/ploit, although some ne# onshore oilfields are disco!ered as #ell and they are not e/ceptional. Unfortunately, they are often located in landlocked countries #ithout access to coastal oil terminal and hence #ithout the possibility to bring the oil to the market. This is particularly the case in Africa. 9e really large disco!eries are becoming the e/ception. (n addition, the increasing instability in countries of the 8iddle and ,ear East contributes to the up#ards pressure on oil prices. (f oil becomes too e/pensi!e for running industry and traffic, ne# energy sources #ill ha!e to be found or de!eloped. E!idently, natural gas can replace oil for 2uite some time. The ne# deposits of oil and gas from shale in the US Gthey are also a!ailable in EuropeH are huge but difficult to e/ploit and the e/traction technology, #hich re2uires in situ hydraulic fracturing GfrackingH of bedrock and the simultaneous in1ection of #ater, sand and chemicals, is not e/actly en!ironmentally friendly. ,e!ertheless, in the United States of America they are e/ploited on a large scale and relati!ely cheap shale gas is used for e/ample for the production of electricity. The e/traction is not easy, but sa!ing the nation the e/odus of US dollars to Arab countries. Although the e/pansion of #ind po#er in 4hina and America is notable, many coal*fired plants are built e!ery month, especially in 4hina, and the number of !ehicles of all kinds also increases rapidly, in particular in 4hina and (ndia. Therefore 4)2 emissions continue to increase e!ery year. At the same time, global #arming continues and apparently e!en accelerates, if one belie!es the scientists in the field of climate change, e!en if #arming seems to ha!e come to a temporary halt for the last ten years G#hich does not pre!ent the polar ice cap to melt to a larger e/tent each yearH. Europe has the scientific and technological capacity to research and then de!elop alternati!e energy so they can economically compete #ith fossil fuels, e!en if one considers that rene#able energies must be stored if #e do not #ant to remain dependent on the natural fluctuations in the a!ailability of these energies Gsun K no sun, #ind * no #indH. Until !ery recently, #e could not imagine another #ay of economical storage of electricity than by

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pumping stations Gduring periods of the day #ith o!ersupply of electricity, i.e. at night, #ater is pumped into one or se!eral basins on high ground and in periods of shortage of electricity, i.e. at peak demand, #ater is drained from these basins to the lo#er le!el through large pipes to po#er turbines, #hich, in turn, dri!e generators to produce electricity. The energy efficiency for this type of energy storage is about IJU Gabout 3JU of energy is lost in this processH, #hich is regarded as acceptable, especially as electricity prices at peak demand attain three times and more of the prices at normal demand. (n the meantime, other technological solutions at least for local and mobile storage needs are becoming a!ailable and little by little the possibility of chemical, mechanical or e!en capaciti!e Gby capacitorsH storage becomes reality13. E!en the use of fuel cells has pro!ed a possible alternati!e. "esearch and de!elopment in these areas must be fostered if #e #ant the solutions to be a!ailable in a timely manner. (n 2J1J, the share of rene#able energies in gross consumption of electricity in the United States of Europe is on a!erage about 2J percent, including hydropo#er, #ind energy, solar energy and biomass. (n the mountainous regions of the USE, such as Austria, ob!iously hydropo#er dominates G[ >>UH, #hile #ind energy stands in first place in @enmark G[ 2CUH. ,e/t to hydroelectric energy, #here there is no# !ery little unused capacity left, #ind energy takes second place G\ 0UH and has probably the largest remaining potential, #hile photo!oltaic represents only J.IU. The aim should be to achie!e, by 2J>J, about half of the production of electricity from rene#able or 4)2 neutral energy sources and if technological progress permits, to achie!e e!en more. This should not 1ust be a declaration of intent, but this goal should indeed be truly targeted and achie!ed% (f #e succeeded in this, Europe can claim the role of pioneer and leader not only in the respecti!e fields of technology, but also in policy areas, such as the protection of the en!ironment and the fight against climate change. At the same time, rene#able energy must not become a fetish. ind farms need lots of space and many residents obser!e the de!elopment to#ards #ind energy 2uite critically. Solar energy needs e!en more space, at least at our latitudes. e should therefore not entirely forget nuclear energy. (n recent years, progress in the manufacture and composition of fuel rods is made. &eryllium o/ide, #ith a !ery high melting point and also high thermal conducti!ity, could increase efficiency and render the possibility of a melt*do#n of the reactor core less likely and thus strengthen safety. (n addition, thorium reactors are being de!eloped that are still safer regarding the danger of reactor core meltdo#n and promise a much better energy efficiency. (n addition, the disposal of radioacti!e #aste is much less problematic, because substantially less #aste is produced. There is then the 2uestion #hether these reactors can produce electricity at lo#er cost. This issue is not yet resol!ed from the practical point of !ie#, but theoretical calculations indicate a relati!ely lo# cost per kilo#att P hour. This prediction should soon be confirmed in practical terms if a pilot plant is allo#ed to be built. Technologically, Europe could play a leadership role e!en here if it does not #ait too long to start research and de!elopment in this area. The reactor type in 2uestion is the ;9i2uid 7luoride Thorium reactor= G97T"H. Already at the beginning, #e said that Europe must be more than a purely economic Union. Europe must also be present in the intellectual and cultural fields. 4lassical music of !arious national origins is a fine e/ample of the con2uest of the !enues across Europe * and beyond *
13

C5 0,:(DA45 15 C@E*5F4%5 EC5(,F%GH5 .:I5*0 5, A))C%(A,%:*0

http://hal.inria.$r/docs/00/67/=0/68/)1J/0tockage-5nergie8+5%81>>6.pd$ 6raphene Supercapacitors 4ould "e!olutionise Energy Storagehttp://www.electronicsweekl!.com/mannerisms/rd/graphene-supercapacitors-could-201+-0+/

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until today. 8ight music in Europe still be ele!ated to a higher le!el and thus unite people' 7urthermore, literature could certainly also take possession of the theme of Europe and thus contribute to making people feel more at ease and at home in the ne# Europe. hat comes to my mind here is especially modern philosophy, #hich deals #ith the social, intellectual and political realities of todayFs Europe and also no!els that tell stories and dramas etc. taking place in a Europe of great di!ersity. hy not follo# the 7rench e/ample' )!er the centuries, the 7rench ha!e been !ery successful in creating a 7rench identity- Eliterature is the soul of 7rance,E #rote the columnist for le 7igaro, Alain*6Lrard Slama, a professor for political sciences, in his ne# book, EThe #riters that made the "epublic=. hy should this not succeed once again in and for Europe' hy not accompany the creation of the European edifice #ith some poetry' )n the other hand, ( do not suggest that there should be a European chau!inism and P or nationalism. &ut #e can still be proud of belonging to a 7ederation that came into being by means of democratic processes and that does not only produce commercial goods, but that is also largely present on a cultural le!el K in many areas. A still largely o!erlooked area is cinema. E!idently, #e ha!e a ;European 4inema= today, but the films, e!en if sponsored by !arious organisations across Europe, are largely playing out national themes. Screenplays for films may #ell gra!itate around Europe. ( belie!e there are destinies that can lend themsel!es to making ;European= mo!ies% Among other things, the USE must also ensure that European uni!ersities come top in #orld ranking Gfor e/ample in the Shanghai rankingH. This #ill re2uire that #e do more and better research in uni!ersities, although some impro!ement has already occurred. (f #e also succeed in this, #e #ill ha!e made an important step to#ards the consolidation of achie!ements. 8oreo!er, our large companies such as EA@S, Siemens, A"EOA, &AS7, $hilips, 7iat, etc., should stri!e to present themsel!es as European companies and not as national * or e!en multinational enterprises, #hich make us forget their European links. This does, of course, re2uire a radical change of mentality because large companies are in!ol!ed in globalisation and the European market is regarded as too small. &ut globalisation does not necessarily mean that there is no more any link to the region #here you come from. 9ooking at 8icrosoft, Apple, (ntel, E//on8obil, &oeing and other U.S. companies, #e still find, ne/t to the multinational character, also the link to the American origin of these companies, #hether they ha!e their head2uarters in Seattle G ashington StateH or in Silicon Oalley G4aliforniaH. )nce the European uni!ersities conduct #orld*class research, the results can be included in industrial research and de!elopment G" Q @H of large European companies and these companies can continue to inno!ate. This inno!ation is then percei!ed as European innovation. A European $atent )ffice already e/ists in 8unich. ,o#, it is time to introduce a USE patent, #hich is already in the planning stage. The first unitary patents #ill be issued in 2J10. ,ational egoisms ha!e !irtually disappeared. Thus, #e should soon ha!e simplified application formalities, and this #ill gi!e a great boost to inno!ation in the USE. At the same time, e/amination of the degree of no!elty of the in!ention becomes stricter, so that there is not an o!erabundance of detail or utility patents. 7inally, in a not too distant future, the three*tiered political structure of the USE should be replaced by a structure of t#o le!els, #ith a ne# 4onstitution for a EUnited EuropeE #ith the regions as a second le!el and the elimination of the national le!el altogether. &ut this change #ill probably not happen before the ne/t generation of Europeans. 7ortunately, the press supports the de!elopment of a Union, a#ay from nation States and closer to a 7ederation. Especially young Europeans cannot #ait until the moment #here the national fossils finally

>>

disappear. They are all polyglots, li!ed, studied and #orked in different parts of the USE, and #ish to no longer fall back into the old national model. The capital, &russels, is accepted by the !ast ma1ority, e!en if this capital suffers a little from a lack of momentum. .a!ing said this, some politicians argue that a capital city should be more than 1ust a place for the administration of the UES and some cultural and architectural pro1ects that are intended to gi!e a more dynamic image of the capital are appro!ed. (n particular, artists #ith international format are in!ited to &russels to organise concerts, performances, e/hibitions, etc., and architects are responsible for future and at the same time sustainable pro1ects.

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Chapter 3 : The Reality

*hat has been missed out+ The follo#ing timeline is taken from http-PP###.erinnerungsort.atPthema1Pe#g.htm and http-PPeuropa.euPabout*euPeu*historyP2JJJ*2JJBPinde/]fr.htm and enriched #ith information and comments Gin bold lette! H by the author. ********************** Ti,eline of e5ent and in tit$tion of the EE&BE&BEU B 8ay 1B>J7rench 7oreign 8inister "obert Schuman deli!ers the declaration about a common Europe Gthe ASchuman planAH, dra#n up by his colleague ?ean 8onet, #hich pursues the ob1ecti!e of a 7rench*6erman reconciliation. The idea is, #ith respect to keeping peace in Europe, to #ithdra# from the indi!idual nation States the direct access to the material basis of a #ar economy. 1C April 1B>1The treaty of foundation of the E4S4 Treaty GEuropean 4oal and Steel 4ommunity, #ith the members- 7rance, 6ermany, (taly, the &enelu/ countriesH is signed. (t stipulates the 4ustoms Union bet#een the 8ember 4ountries of the area, under the control of a largely so!ereign Ahigh authorityA. An e/tension of the cooperation in all areas of industrial production follo#s in 1B>>. August 3J, 1B>0The pro1ect of the E@4 GEuropean @efence 4ommunityH fails 2not onl/4 because of the re1ection by the 7rench ,ational Assembly. ?anuary 1st, 1B>C- Signing of the ETreaty of "omeE- due to the success of the E4S4, the si/ 8ember States establish the EE4 GEuropean Economic 4ommunityH and the EU"AT)8 4ommunity GEuropean Atomic Energy 4ommunityH. The EE4 aims at the reduction of customs duties, a common foreign policy, as #ell as the gradual implementation of a political Union. 0 ?anuary 1BDJ8ay 3, 1BDJ'>09C'>0+( Treaty of foundation of E7TA GEuropean 7ree Trade AssociationH The E7TA Treaty is implemented. The Beatle pla/ in Da,b$!)

1BDIThe three E4S4, EE4 and EU"AT)8 institutions are merged into the European 4ommunity. 1BDCAfter the transitional period of ten years, tariffs bet#een the EE4 States are completely dismantled. #n .!ance3 cont!ol of fo!ei)n e8chan)e i int!od$ced fo! a :hile3 contin$in) :ell into '>0>? '>69( All co,panie $ch a the Po t Office 3 Teleco,,$nication and Rail:a/ a!e till in the hand of the Me,be! Nation ? Not the lea t effo!t to:a!d E$!opean co,panie ha5e been $nde!ta;en? '>6+( 7ate!3 )a and elect!icit/ $tilitie a!e al o till in the hand of the National 1tate 3 !e)ion o! ,$nicipalitie o! a!e till p!i5ate? Not the lea t !e t!$ct$!in) effo!t in the di!ection of E$!opean co,panie i on the :a/?

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' Ean$a!/ '>6-( G!eat B!itain C to)ethe! :ith Den,a!; and #!eland C Aoin the E$!opean &o,,$nit/? 1ince that date3 the UF i abota)in) an/ f$!the! inte)!ation of the Me,be! co$nt!ie of the E&3 altho$)h it too; G!eat B!itain $b tantial effo!t and fie!ce ne)otiation ince it application fo! ,e,be! hip in '>0' and '>06 to finall/ Aoin? ?anuary 1, 1BC1it$ation4 6reece 1oins the European 4ommunity 2b$t cheat abo$t it financial

1BC>7irst Schengen 4on!ention bet#een the countries of the &enelu/, 6ermany and 7rance. @ecember 1BC>The SEA GSingle European ActH, #hich pro!ides for the creation of the single market Gimplementation in 1BB2H and regulates the decision*making process #ithin the 4ouncil of the European Union, is signed. Thus the E$4 GEuropean $olitical 4ooperationH recei!es its legal basis and the European 4ouncil, #hich has e/isted since 1BI0 Gcomposed of the heads of State and heads of 6o!ernmentH, and #hich fi/es the fundamental political ob1ecti!es of the European Union, is institutionalised. ?anuary 1, 1BCDSpain and $ortugal 1oin the European 4ommunity. E$ne '>*6( E tabli h,ent of the E!a ,$ p!o)!a,,e to p!o,ote the ,obilit/ of t$dent and teache! Ma!ch '>*6( E$d),ent of the E$!opean &o$!t of E$ tice on the Ge!,an !eG$i!e,ent of p$!it/( bee! :hich doe not co!!e pond to the Ge!,an p$!it/ la: ,a/ ne5e!thele be old in Ge!,an/? '>**( of c$c$,be! 4 Re)$lation EE& No '066B** 2!e)$lation on the de)!ee of c$!5at$!e

3 )ctober 1BBJ"eunification of the t#o 6ermanys and thus the inclusion of the former territory of the 6@" in the European 4ommunity. I 7ebruary 1BB2ith the signing of the A8aastricht TreatyA on the creation of a political and economic European Union GEUH, in force as from ,o!ember 1, 1BB3, the European treaties are fundamentally re!ised. 7urthermore, #ith the establishment of E8U GEconomic and 8onetary UnionH in 1BB2, the introduction of a common currency is decided as #ell. 1epte,be! '03 '>>+( Blac; 7edne da/ C the po$nd te!lin) i !e,o5ed f!o, the E$!opean E8chan)e Rate Mechani , 2ERM4 afte! Geo!)e 1o!o di!ect a t!on) attac; a)ain t thi c$!!enc/? 1 ?anuary 1BB0The EEA GEuropean Economic AreaH, including the 12 States of the E4 and all States of E7TA, #ith the e/ception of S#it+erland, is established. The ob1ecti!e is the free mo!ement of goods, persons, ser!ices and capital, as #ell as the cooperation in the fields of en!ironment, education, research, de!elopment, etc. (n the 1BBJsOarious directi!es are promulgated for the sectors of public ser!ices such as the $ost )ffices, Telecommunications, the "ail#ays and the Energy Utilities, re2uiring gradual liberalisation, i.e. pri!atisation. The e di!ecti5e tip$late A$ t the oppo ite of :hat ha been $))e ted in the ea!lie! HD!ea,I chapte!3 i?e? to ,e!)e the indi5id$al e!5ice and $tilit/ co,panie to c!eate )!eat E$!opean co,panie J and o the oppo!t$nitie fo! c!eatin) t!on) /,bol a!e lo t? ?anuary 1, 1BB>Austria, S#eden and 7inland, 1oin the EU. (n ,or#ay, the E4 membership is re1ected by a referendum. Unfo!t$natel/3 T$!;e/ !e,ain on the ideline .

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Ma/ '>>%( .!ench p!e ident .!anKoi Mitte!!and doe not p!e ent hi, elf fo! !eCelection? De i e!io$ l/ ill and die in Ean$a!/ '>>0? Th$ 3 E$!ope lo e one of it t:o ;e/ defende! 2the othe! bein) &hancello! Del,$t Fohl4? '>>6( The L1chen)en ## a)!ee,entL on the abolition of cont!ol at the bo!de! bet:een the co$nt!ie of the E$!opean Econo,ic A!ea 2EEA4 i belatedl/ inco!po!ated into &o,,$nit/ le)i lation? The United Fin)do, and #!eland a!e not pa!t of the a)!ee,ent3 :hile nonCEU co$nt!ie $ch a 1:it=e!land and Miechten tein do pa!ticipate? 1epte,be! '>>*( Ge!,an &hancello! Del,$t Fohl lo e the election to the B$nde ta) and E$!ope lo e it othe! ;e/ defende! and ,ain en)ine? '>>>( The 1chen)en a)!ee,ent i i,ple,ented 1 ?anuary 1BBBThe introduction of the Euro as the single currency had to :ait $ntil thi date? Euro banknotes and coins are introduced on ?anuary 1, 2JJ2. @ecember 11, 1BBB- Turkey is granted the status of official candidate for accession to the European Union. 7ebruary 1, 2JJ3- the ETreaty of ,iceE 2a la!)el/ failed T!eat/4 regulates the si+e and functioning of the EU institutions #ith respect to the needs for enlarging the community. Dece,be! +99-( Re)$lation !e)a!din) p!od$ct of cocoa and chocolate 2cocoa Re)$lation4 A$tho!i ation of othe! fat in chocolate alon) ide cocoa b$tte! 2JJ04yprus, the 4+ech "epublic, Estonia, .ungary, 9at!ia, 9ithuania, 8alta, $oland, Slo!akia and Slo!enia, become EU 8embers. &ulgaria and "omania are applicant countries. Ma/ +99%( end in !eAection The .!ench !efe!end$, on the E$!opean &on tit$tional T!eat/

E$ne +99%( The con $ltati5e Refe!end$, of the Pa!lia,ent of the Nethe!land on the a,e t!eat/ end al o in !eAection 2the e t:o !efe!end$, p!ono$nce the end of the E$!ope that :e had d!ea,ed abo$t4? @ecember 1, 2JJI- The 2I countries of the European Union sign the Treaty of 9isbon, #hich amends the pre!ious treaties. (t is designed to make the EU more democratic, more effecti!e and more transparent, and also to gi!e it the means to tackle global challenges, such as climate change, security and sustainable de!elopment. #t i 3 ho:e5e!3 a poo! $b tit$te fo! the o!i)inall/ planned con tit$tional T!eat/ and i i,po ed ,ainl/ b/ .!ench P!e ident Nicola 1a!;o=i? Do:e5e!3 it :ill not )!eatl/ chan)e thin) 3 tho$)h the!e ,i)ht be o,e potential 2 ee anne84? 2JJI&ulgaria and "omania 1oin the EU. 4roatia, 8acedonia and Turkey are still applicant countries September 2JJCThe global economy is hit by a serious financial crisis. The triggers of the crisis are rotten loans Gsub*primeH in the US. A number of European banks are also in danger. The crisis has te,po!a!il/ led to closer economic cooperation bet#een the countries of the EU. @ecember 1, 2JJB- The Treaty of 9isbon is finally ratified 2afte! a lot of co,e and )o4 by all the countries of the EU and enters into force. Serbia seeks EU membership. +9'9( The E$!opean and A,e!ican econo,ie a!e th!eatened b/ a e5e!e c!i i of p$blic debt3 :hich ha 3 in pa!t3 e,e!)ed f!o, the financial c!i i ? The E$!o3 o! >B

the 5e!/ e8i tence of the E$!o =one3 i th!eatened? The c!i i contin$e to thi da/ and an end i not in i)ht? One ha the i,p!e ion that the EU ha lo t it ,o,ent$,( the belief i no lon)e! the!e? Dece,be! +9''( &!oatia i officiall/ info!,ed that it EU ,e,be! hip :ill ta;e effect a of ' E$l/ +9'- 2the E$!opean &o$ncil and the E$!opean Pa!lia,ent ha5e app!o5ed4? Ma/ +9'+( 7olf)an) 1ch$ble3 the c$!!ent Ge!,an .inance Mini te!3 p!opo e the di!ect election of the p!e ident of the &o,,i ion? Dece,be! +9'+( ' E$l/ +9'-( Unita!/ EU patent C afte! -9 /ea! of ne)otiation C finall/? &!oatia beco,e ,e,be! of the E$!opean Union?

Note on the t!$ct$!e of the E$!opean Union( The European Union is currently composed Gin addition to se!eral ad!isory bodiesH of the follo#ing institutions the 4ouncil of the EU Gcomposed of the 8inisters of 7oreign Affairs or 8inisters of other rele!ant domains of the 8ember StatesH5 the 4ommission, #hich has the right of initiati!e and is the E/ecuti!e &ody for the implementation of contracts5 the $arliament of the EU, #hose head2uarters are in Strasbourg and #hose members, since 1BIB, are directly elected in the 8ember States, e/ercises political control and participation rights5 the 1udicial body of the European Union, i.e. the 4ourt of ?ustice of the EU GE4?H, #hich #as established in 1B>C5 the E4& GEuropean 4entral &ankH, #hich has been acti!e since ?une 1, 1BBC, together #ith the national central banks of the 8ember States of the 8onetary Union, defines economic and monetary policy A a !e $lt3 e5e!/thin) !e,ain 5e!/ co,plicated< ********************** So far the timeline * it does not at all claim to be e/hausti!e. (n #hat follo#s, ( do not #ant in any #ay belittle #hat has finally been accomplished. e ha!e a period of peace and great prosperity behind us. Europe has ne!er had this before and #e should be grateful for that. Unfortunately, Europe did not progress significantly since about 1> years, apart from the adoption of the Euro, #hich has not been sufficiently prepared from a political point of !ie#. ,ationalisms are all back, as if there #ere no European Union, no Euro, and no crisis. (f #e #ant to get out of the current crisis in the European Union, #e must commit oursel!es #ith all our heart and soul and #ith all the a!ailable energy to Europe and together bear the hea!y burden that has accumulated o!er time due to more than 1> years of inertia. e also encourage those citi+ens #ho are #ell endo#ed #ith financial capital, to help us bear this burden on their probably broader backs. hy should these citi+ens not also be #illing to make sacrifices' ,o# the 2uestion- #hat #ent #rong' hy is Europe in such a mess again' 4an #e still hope that Europe #ill be realised from top to bottom or should #e no# try to achie!e that from bottom to top' Are the citi+ens #illing to take the initiati!e' (f #e belie!e the polls, this is not necessarily the case. So #e need institutions of the ci!il society that facilitate public discussions about a 7ederal United Europe and #here the citi+ens are informed about the ad!antages and disad!antages of such a Europe, #ithout political ulterior moti!es. DJ

E!erything #ent #ell until 1BD> Gapart from the re1ection of the European defence community in 1B>0H, and #e could ha!e continued in this direction #ith the same momentum. There is, ho#e!er, already a step back#ards in 8ay 1BDC #hen 7rance, for a time, introduces foreign e/change controls for the 7rench francs and thus uncouples from the free con!ertibility of currencies in Europe10.
,ersonally the 'rench exchange control in 19B did concern me only marginally! since I needed to import foreign currency into 'rance and not export 'rench francs% #owever! 'rench students in other EE( countries had significantly more headaches when they were dependent on payments from 'rance! which! later on! was the case for -nnie when we moved to "unich%

Unfortunately, nobody has e!en thought about creating really strong symbols for a United Europe and therefore opportunities ha!e remained unused- neither public ser!ices nor energy and #ater utilities nor anything else of this nature ha!e become elements of coherence for the European 4ommunity of @estiny and Europe gradually chokes in bureaucratic rules. Then, there are these directi!es in the 1BBJs for the progressi!e liberalisation and pri!atisation of ser!ices and utilities, #hich ha!e finally and definiti!ely put an end to the prospect of using these institutions as symbols and dri!ing forces for a United Europe. 8any people in Europe do not understand this approach. (n addition, there are many small measures #hich appear totally de!oid of any sense and purely bureaucratic, such as the 1BCC regulations go!erning the degree of cur!ature of commercial cucumbers, #hich the population not only does not understand but also percei!es as ridiculously stupid. There are also do+ens of other regulations of this nature for !egetables and fruits. )ther laughable e/amples- a cocoa regulation, dating from 2JJ3, allo#s the use of fats other than cocoa butter in chocolate5 and a 4ommunity 1udgment in 1BCI on the marketing of a beer in 6ermany #hich does not meet the conditions defined by the 6erman purity la#, instating that, not#ithstanding the 6erman rule, this beer must ne!ertheless be allo#ed on the 6erman market. The same applies to all other E4 countries #ith such rules. The founding fathers of the European 4ommunity #ere already a#are that a European 4ommunity or Union has no chance to sur!i!e in the long term, if the idea is not filled #ith life. Especially Alcide de 6asperi #arned that the sole creation of common administrati!e bodies #ithout a !isible political #ill does not produce anything lasting. )n the contrary, the population could one day percei!e this bureaucracy as a strait1acket and as negati!e in comparison #ith more !igorous national forces. .e compared this situation #ith the final stage of the "oman Empire.1> (t should be noted at this point that there #as some misunderstanding among the 6ermans#hen there #as talk of a federal Europe, it #as almost a no*brainer for the citi+ens of the 7ederal "epublic of 6ermany. )b!iously, 6ermany has been a 7ederation since its inception and the 9Wnder GregionsH are regarding the federal 6o!ernment as an institution that protects them, not as one that remo!es rights or so!ereignty. The 6ermans do not understand ho# a country like 7rance can ha!e a different attitude. Unfortunately, the 7rench tradition is !ery different from the 6erman and has its origins in the time of absolutism. 7rance is a highly
10

1>

0ee also 0piegel article http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-=7876=>>.html. 0omewhat similar &ut less restrictive cases recur later on in 4erman! ;http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d1=02+>02.html and http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/#ardepotgeset9<. Iou can listen to some eKcerpts $rom speeches o$ these $ounding $athers at http://europa.eu/a&out-eu/eu-histor!/$ounding-$athers/. %t is worth the whileL

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centrali+ed State and the so!ereignty is !ested in the State. The regions are sub1ected to this so!ereignty. (n a federation, 7rance Gand other StatesH #ould lose their centralised so!ereignty, or at least a considerable part of it and it is not Gyet'H ready for this concession Gas #ell as many other countries are either not yet or no longerH. A European football team and European )lympic teams do not e/ist and are not planned either. (n 1BI2 #e are still far a#ay from a proper European passport and e!en in 1BC>, nothing has changed. E!ery 1J years ( need to rene# my residence permit in $aris if ( do not #ant to become a 7renchman. (nitial progress e/ists #ithout any doubt in se!eral areas, but it is often not supported by accompanying measures. 7or e/ample, #hat utility does the European $arliament ha!e if there is no immediate right of initiati!e and it cannot, therefore, make any proposal for a la# on its o#n initiati!e' G(t should be mentioned, ho#e!er, that the 9isbon Treaty of @ecember 2JJB has some#hat impro!ed this situationH. hat is the purpose of the 4ommission, #hich represents de facto something like the 6o!ernment of the Union, if it is not empo#ered e/cept in some !ery narro#ly defined areas and if there is no uniform procedure for the legislation that the 4ommission is e/pected to implement' The la#s are treated differently depending on the area. hat utility may the Euro ha!e if the budgetary policy in the 8ember States is not co*ordinated' ill the EU unitary patent Gonly one patent for all signatory StatesH keep its promise #hen (taly and Spain are not part of the treaty and the old system, under #hich a separate patent can be registered in each 8ember State, is continued in parallel' (n 1BI3, 6reat*&ritain decides not to stay out of the European 4ommunity but to 1oin. 4onsidering that the &eatles ha!e started their career in .amburg Gthey played repeatedly there bet#een 1BDJ and 1BD2H and ha!e en1oyed the continent e!en if conditions #ere difficult G( attended one of the completely cra+y performances in the Star*4lubH, and that inston 4hurchill #as an ardent defender of a European 7ederation, one can understand that the U: #anted to be part of it. Unfortunately, from this moment on#ards and #ith great satisfaction, the country slo#s do#n all initiati!es of European integration, and the other member countries cannot do anything to stop it from pushing the brakes. (t should, ho#e!er, also be mentioned that the USA has not al#ays helped the European 4ommunity to ad!ance on the path to#ards a true 7ederal Union. "egarding the U:, it becomes e!en #orse since September 1D, 1BB2, #hen 6eorge Soros forced &ritain to lea!e the European e/change rate mechanism GE"8H, formerly the European 8onetary System GE8SH, #hich it had 1oined for some time already to participate in the introduction of the Euro. 8oreo!er, this story has affected me personally as follo#sIn 1993! we are about to buy an apartment in 5ondon% &he money is still in 'rance and *ermany% -t that time! +ritain is ready to become a member of the European monetary system ?E"0@ and starts to tal$ up the exchange rate of the ` 0terling% In doing so! she probably wishes to satisfy the bureaucracy in +russels! which believes that the ` 0terling is undervalued% &he pound /responds/ positively and is gradually gaining in value against the Euro before 4oining the E"0% 0uddenly! our money in M(ontinental EuropeM is no longer sufficient to buy the apartment% &he purchase is cancelled% &wo years later! after +lac$ Wednesday of 0eptember 1B! 199C 8 *eorge 0oros! the man later $nown as a philanthropist! has speculated against the pound because he believes it is overvalued 8 the pound 0terling exits the E"0! now E)"! and drops bac$ to the level of exchange

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rates it had in early 1993Q but we are already on the way bac$ to ,aris% Our son had returned to ,aris after his -9level exam in 5ondon to continue his studies there% #e needs us%

&ritain #ill continue to slo# do#n Europe, as soon as it is in its interest. (t is also note#orthy that the &ritish press so infuriates the &ritish public opinion against Europe that the 6o!ernment cannot but emphasi+e again and again that it is keen to keep its independence at any price. ,e!ertheless, more and more European countries #ish to 1oin the Union. (ndeed, there are also many positi!e aspects. 7or e/ample, in 1BCI the Erasmus programme is established and in 1BBI the Schengen agreement is incorporated into the EU legal frame#ork. These t#o initiati!es are ad!ancing Europe by some great steps. .a!ing ad!anced this far, the ne/t ma1or step to#ards achie!ing further European integration is the adoption of the Euro in ?anuary 1BBB as a unit of account in 11 EU countries Ge!idently #ithout 6reat*&ritainH. (n ?anuary 2JJ2, after three years of mental preparation for the concerned citi+ens, Euro banknotes and coins are put into circulation. Unfortunately, there is no central authority to coordinate the 8ember countriesF public finances, economic policies, budgets, etc. The long*term sur!i!al of the Euro, as #ell as that of the EU, is therefore not ensured at all. As there are already a large number of countries in the Euro +one, it becomes increasingly difficult to design and implement the missing bodies or institutions that are needed to make the common currency #ork. Achie!ing the needed consensus in each case #ould re2uire protracted negotiations. 6o!ernments, being only too happy to unload the shortcomings of their o#n policy onto the &russels bureaucracy and to blame the Euro for inflation and other e!ils, #ill not undertake initiati!es for more integration. 7or many citi+ens A&russelsA is no# to blame for all the misery that is #aiting for us or that #e face already today. hat a boon for the national politicians% A po#erful demonstration of this situation is gi!en in 2JJ>, #hen the countries had to !ote for or against a ne# European A4onstitutional TreatyA. (t is intended to fi/ some shortcomings in the functioning of the EU. A clear ma1ority of 8ember States !oted in fa!our of the Treaty. .o#e!er, in national referendums in 7rance and the ,etherlands, a ma1ority of citi+ens !ote against it. e e/perience this episode in $aris and must see ho# an influential #ing of the normally pro*European Socialist $arty, for partisan political reasons adopts an anti*Treaty position and makes noisy propaganda against the Treaty. Together #ith the e/treme right#ing party, they manage to bring the Treaty do#n. They harm not only, as intended, the 4onser!ati!e $arty in 6o!ernment under ?ac2ues 4hirac, but abo!e all the EU and finally themsel!es since they lose credibility. e are deeply disappointed by this outcome and, as a conse2uence, the change in the dynamics of Europe to come to a complete standstill, since the 4onstitutional Treaty #ould only ha!e come into force if all 8ember States, #ithout e/ception, had !oted for the treaty. There is in particular one circumstance that has caused great damage to the E4PEU. After ?ac2ues @elors as $resident of the European 4ommission G1BC>*1BB0H, #e had only e/tremely #eak and insignificant $residents in this position. Today, the situation is e!en #orse than it #as under ?ac2ues Santer, @elors successor. ith "omano $rodi, there #as perhaps G'H once again a small impro!ement. Today, #ith ?osL 8anuel &arroso, #e ha!e again a rather irrele!ant and e/tremely #eak $resident of the 4ommission #ho does not dri!e Europe and #ith .erman Oan "ompuy, the permanent $resident of the European 4ouncil

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Gsince @ecember 2JJBH and 4atherine 8argaret Ashton, .igh "epresentati!e of the EU for foreign policy and security and Oice*president of the European 4ommission <.. Gsince 7ebruary 2J1JH, #e ha!e also t#o insignificant technocrats as leaders of the European Union. orse could not ha!e happened to Europe. Today, #e do not ha!e any person in a leading position in bodies or institutions of the European Union #ith the ability to bring the indi!idual States back on a constructi!e track and halt the decline of Europe% All of this has not 1ust happened by accident. The emasculation of the 4ommission $resident and other E4PEU representati!es #as pushed by the go!ernments of the 8ember*States. (n their eyes, ?ac2ues @elors #as too strong a leader #hen ;go!erning= the E4. (n this respect #e do not only ha!e to blame 6reat &ritain but also 6ermany under .elmut :ohl, #ho #anted a more obedient person in the 1ob of 4ommission $resident. Adding to this is the annoying and ne!er*ending EU horse trade and bickering about ne# treaties, ob1ecti!es and budgets in the long term, agricultural subsidies, etc. e are the bystanders of a fierce struggle and un#orthy bargaining for ad!antages and pennies. (n addition, the E4 * and later the European Union * has erected a number of rather remote administrati!e structures that ha!e remained inaccessible to ordinary people and #hich they do not understand. Should #e be surprised #hen citi+ens, young and old, cannot get e/cited about Europe' ho can blame them' e ha!e mentioned earlier in this booklet that the common agricultural policy has not brought the then EE4 countries closer together. Unfortunately the Euro hasnFt accomplished this either for the Euro*+one countries 0J years later, and the common currency has thus also not kept its promise. 8ost citi+ens e!en in 7rance and the ,etherlands ha!e got used to the Euro and they probably do not #ant to gi!e it up. &ut for many countries it has become a strait1acket from #hich they #ould like to escape, but canFt because the conse2uences are unforeseeable. Since no further mo!e to#ards stronger political bonds bet#een the member states is under #ay and the resol!e to#ards a real European 4ommunity is #eakening by the day, the Euro has today for many politicians become an unlo!ed child #hich they #ould prefer to send into the #ilderness if they could. (n addition, countries like @enmark and S#eden, #hich are outside the Euro +one, are ob!iously not so se!erely affected by the financial and debt crisis as those countries #ithin the Euro +one. (t becomes increasingly difficult to con!ince fello# citi+ens of the European idea. The A,ationsA drift helplessly through the financial and debt crisis. E&russelsE can and must do nothing #hich #ould e/ceed its limited competences. e #ill deal #ith the abo!e*mentioned crisis in greater detail three paragraphs further belo#. 7ortunately, there are also structures in the EU, such as the Erasmus programme. (t permits young people to study for a #hile in neighbouring EU countries, doing an internship, or staying there for some time for other purposes #ith a contract of employment or on a !oluntary basis. Especially 7rench youth sei+e this opportunity. As already mentioned earlier, thanks to the Erasmus programme, our daughter ,ancy could spend half a year of her studies in 9ondon. Also foreign languages are increasingly taken up at school and here again, it is in particular 7rench youths #ho are getting better and better in speaking foreign languages, especially English. (n the former So!iet European satellites, English is no# practiced as a first foreign language and "ussian has significantly declined. (f Europe does not come to the citi+ens, then the Gmostly youngH people come to Europe.
-s a still relatively young retiree of B9 years! I must confess that something else is wor$ing well: someone who has the right to pensions in three different "ember 0tates!

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even if the amounts are not exactly colossal! gets these retirement emoluments without too many complications% If all goes well! in three months! the formalities have been completed and the pension is on your ban$ account 4ust in time ?but will this situation last>@% 2otwithstanding! in my case! the 'rench administration lost my files twice and I had to start over again and reproduce the paperwor$ three times before receiving the confirmation that everything is in order%

"eality has accumulated a lot of problems in recent years- since ?uly 2JJI the USA and se!eral European countries, including &ritain, slip into a banking crisis, triggered by the so* called subprime crisis. 7inancial institutions demonstrate e/treme largesse #hen lending to buyers of real estate, regardless of their credit#orthiness. Se!eral financial institutions are happy to 1ust hear their customers declare that they are able to repay the loan according to the terms of the contract and do not ask any guarantees. hen it becomes e!ident that many customers are unable to repay their loans, a se!ere banking crisis spreads 2uickly and 6o!ernments must inter!ene and supply banks #ith huge sums of money to sa!e them from bankruptcy. ( #ill not d#ell here on the technical details K much has already been #ritten about this. The fact is that 6o!ernments indebt themsel!es hea!ily in order to sa!e their financial institutions from the abyss. (n addition, a lot of money must be in1ected into the economy to a!oid bankruptcy of a number of large companies, especially in the automoti!e sector. This crisis has barely ended #hen it becomes clear that, in part because of the bank and company bailouts, but also because of negligent management of budgetary spending, many countries, especially the USA and European countries, ha!e accumulated mountains of debts o!er the years. The United States of America has piled up debts of more than 1> trillion ^ Gmore than 1JJU of 6@$H and at the end of 2J11, 6reece is indebted to more than 1IJ per cent of 6@$. )ther European countries are not much better off including 6ermany #ith an CJU debtP6@$ ratio. .o# can #e e!er get rid of this mountain of debt' The austerity measures ha!e so far not had the desired effect. 6i!en that the EU no# has a 4entral &ank, the latter could simply print money as does the U.S. 7ederal "eser!e. .o#e!er, as the Euro is not the #orldFs lead*currency, #e #ould 2uickly ha!e a galloping inflation in Europe. Another solution might be to see the creditors forsake >J or DJ per cent of E4 countriesF debt. That this #ill happen does not seem !ery likely, ho#e!er. e sa# ho# difficult it #as for e!en a small country like 6reece to apply this strategy. )nly the US #as able to shift a large portion of its bad bank loans to foreign banks, #hich had acti!ely and nai!ely participated in the business #ith deri!ati!es of home loans. 8oreo!er, the 7E@ could print tons of dollars #ithout risking inflation, because the li2uidity supply in the international reser!e currency #as to a large e/tent absorbed by the international community * and still is * and therefore, the American public debt is mainly co!ered by foreign countries and banks. hether #e ha!e reached the limits of this strategy is a matter of speculation. 8ean#hile, e!en 4yprus has entered the financial and debt crisis. (t urgently needs a se!eral* billion*euro credit to sur!i!e. (ts banking sector is similarly o!ersi+ed as the (celandic one has been. (n addition, 4yprus is also a ta/ hea!en. (t is therefore understandable that other Europeans do not #ant to stand in for e/ample for deposits of "ussian in!estors for the purpose of ta/ e!asion and are therefore asking these in!estors to pay for their pri!ileges. )n the other hand, the financial #orld is so intert#ined that in the absence of decisi!e action unpredictable conse2uences may be on the hori+on for the #hole euro +one and beyond. (f 4yprus declares bankruptcy, this can definitely ha!e a domino effect on 6reece, $ortugal, Spain, (reland and (taly.

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ill Europe be able to once more o!ercome a deep crisis as it has done many times before' (t is al#ays said that Europe progresses especially in times of crisis. This time around (Am not so sure of that. Europe is simply no longer #orking. To emerge !ictorious from the crisis, #e need bodies and functional institutions through #hich the re2uired decisions could be taken democratically. 4urrently, the mechanisms of decision*making are still far too hea!y, long and comple/ or ine/istent. ,ot#ithstanding, Europe must reco!er. (t has no choice. .o# can todayFs younger generation find its #ay' (t has no longer a home or point of reference. The belief in the nation is already no longer as strong as it has been for pre!ious generations. Although in recent years, there is a mo!e to#ards the political right and e/treme right in some countries, this does not really mean that nationalism has a comeback, at least not for young people. (t is probably rather a reaction against recent politics that are unable to do any good. $olitics are essentially go!erned by self*interest. As already mentioned earlier, the #rangling of politicians on a national as #ell as at the EU le!el, e!en of the heads of State, is today !ery much percei!ed as no more than a $unch and ?udy sho#. (ndi!idually, politics of European ,ation States ha!e no longer any clout at the international and little clout at the national le!el. Mouth oppose this shado# fencing. They need goals. They #ant to kno# #here the 1ourney is going and if at the end of that 1ourney there is something that is #orth their commitment. )utside of a socially fairer Europe, there is not much. The era of the great European ,ations has ended. ,either @enmark Geither #ith or #ithout 6reenlandH, nor 7rance or 6ermany ha!e today the necessary economic mass to cope #ith global competition and other global issues. Europe could be the AhomeA for the young generation * if only she #anted% e need to gi!e this young generation reason for hoping that the European AhomeA #ill be theirs one day. All this is not to say that for e/ample 7rance and 6reat &ritain ha!e not been great nations. Suite the contrary% @espite ha!ing also had their #eak points, they ha!e immensely contributed in the creation of a #orld as #e kno# it today and this in !arious domains, such as cultural, social, technological and human rights. .o#e!er, this greatness is past history. (n Europe, there is no ;6reat ,ation= left today. &ut Europe could be great% This is something political leaders need to recognise% So, #hat can #e do to offer a #orth#hile future to Europe and its citi+ens, young and old' )n the one hand #e can, of course, not look into the future, but if the future is an e/trapolation of the past and the present, it does not look !ery promising. )n the other hand, #e do not ha!e the one solution. e can only reflect intelligently and then offer suggestions for shaping the future in such a #ay, that the dream of a united Europe remains possible. A fe# remarks in this direction #ill be made in the ne/t and last chapter. After all, there are some rare signs that politicians are sincerely concerned about ho# Europe might e!ol!e. (n 8ay 2J12, #e hear the 6erman 8inister of 7inance, olfgang SchWuble, saying that the direct election of the president of the 4ommission is desirable because it #ould partially offset the democratic deficit of the European Union and #ould create more citi+en outreach.

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Chapter 4 : What ne t!
The EU needs ne# impetus and momentum so that other regions in Europe and the #orld can take the ;European idea= as a model again. The EU must redefine itself. 8any de!eloping countries e/pect more than 1ust being a trading partner from Europe. Europe should take or resume the leadership in the field of the en!ironment, democracy, moral financial systems, fair trade, etc. 4i!il society must be mobili+ed and articulate its impatience #ith the e!er slo#ing progress of the European Union. This impatience should be e/pressed in political protestsPdemonstrations or through institutions and forums pro!ided for this purpose. $articipatory democracy must finally become reality at the EuropeanPEU le!el% (t is already implicitly mentioned in the ,ice Treaty Gimplemented in 7ebruary 2JJ3H. The #orld does no longer need indi!idual countries such as 6ermany, 7rance, (taly, etc. They ha!e become obsolete. There are no# !irtually only consumers and no or !ery fe# committed citi+ens in the indi!idual countries of the EU5 and e!en the a!erage consumer do no longer ha!e much purchasing po#er. &ut a United Europe, #hich rein!ents itself * #hether itAs #ith or #ithout the United :ingdom remains to be seen * can play a positi!e role in the #orld and can also engage its citi+ens. e must sei+e this opportunity% e ha!e seen many empires emerge and perish. The Empire of Ale/ander the 6reat has lost its hero too 2uickly #hile the o!ersi+ed empire has been assembled too 2uickly5 the "oman Empire, #hile built o!er a long time, o!erreached itself and did at the end no longer ha!e the moral strength to defend itself as an idea5 the .oly "oman Empire lacked the cohesion necessary to defend itself against e/ternal po#ers Gthe Emperor did not ha!e the necessary instruments of po#erH5 the &ritish Empire #as too large and too dispersed for a small country such as &ritain, and the So!iet Empire #as based too much Ge/clusi!ely'H on control and coercion. Thus, only the American GUSH Empire remains, #hich no# also begins to sho# some #eaknesses Galthough it is too early to #rite it off altogether5 it has pro!ed rather resilient se!eral times alreadyH. hat #ill happen ne/t' A Europe, united through the free #ill of its citi+ens, could sho# ne# #ays for political, cultural and economic communities to e/ist and become a counter#eight to 4hina. (n order to ensure that there #ill be a future for Europe, it #ill probably be necessary to open se!eral a!enues at the same time- create further strong symbols, start institutional reform, create ne# institutions, abolish unnecessary institutions, propose and adopt ne# la#s, put in order state finance and the financialPbanking system, etc. &ut abo!e all- create a real 7ederal 6o!ernment for the European Union. Here are a few suggestions for concrete measures: End of 2J13 or early 2J10 thousands of young people in all European cities #ill demonstrate for faster progress in the unification of Europe. That people demonstrate for something and not against is ne# for politicians. As a result, it has the desired effect and they are no# acti!ely looking for solutions. To at least create yet a strong symbol, a European football team for the orld 4up in 2J10 in &ra+il Gif it is not too late alreadyH and European )lympic teams for the 2J1D games in "io are prepared. The positi!e effect #ill be ine!itable%

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"ight no#, the first priority for the EU is to separate itself as soon as possible from the United :ingdom, a country that is clearly not yet mentally prepared for Europe Gand #hich perhaps ne!er #illH, to finally redisco!er the original sense of the European idea. (t is not easy at the time #hen the EU needs payments from the &ritish for the 4ommunity budget. )n the other hand, it is an opportunity to define ne# priorities for in!estments at the le!el of the EU. e can only #ish good luck to @a!id 4ameron for his referendum by the end of 2J1I and hope that the &ritish #ill plead for a 2uick e/it from the EU Ge!en though #e do suspect this to be no more than 1ust a cle!er manoeu!re to #in support from his party * in other #ords, a bluffH. So far, it has al#ays been so simple- (f there is no progress in the pursuit of further integration of the European Union, it is al#ays the fault of &ritain. (t is so easy to blame that country and then being dispensed from making any effort, since, in any e!ent, e!ery effort #ould be futile. Therefore #e ha!e yet another good reason to separate us from the :ingdom as soon as possible. (f, ho#e!er, someday the United :ingdom should ha!e the courage to pull itself together, it could become a full*fledged member #hile accepting the conditions in force at the time and #ithout e/ceptions. (n #riting these lines G@ecember 2C, 2J12H, ?ac2ues @elors made a proposal in this sense in the .andelsblatt. &ritain should associate differently #ith the EU, #ithout being a full member. And #hy not'% 6reat &ritain has not been the only country to slo# European (ntegration. 7rance pushed the brakes as much as &ritain did and perhaps e!en more. At least inston 4hurchill #as !ery much in fa!our of a federal Europe. .o#e!er, being situated on the continent and a neighbour of 6ermany, 7ranceFs lo!e affair #ith strong central national go!ernment and her resistance to gi!e up her so!ereignty might one day be o!ercome. e must admit that the admission of Turkey #ith its dynamic economy #ould no# be a boon for Europe. Unfortunately, Turkey is today no longer as keen as before to 1oin the EU and Europe should probably forego this addition. )n the other hand, Ukraine has not remained #ithin the "ussian 7ederation Gformer USS"H and #ould like to 1oin the EU. (t may perhaps do so in a fe# years #hen its economy has impro!ed and is transformed to conform to the standards set by the EU. &ut that is of no a!ail in the current situation. (n order to get out of the financial crisis and public debt, the E4& immediately buys up the 6reek debt and repays creditors. (t grants the country loans at !ery lo# or +ero percent interest rates so that 6reece gets 2uickly back on its feet. The country commits itself to repay the ne# loans as soon as its economic and financial capabilities permit to do this. The country #ill get ad!ice and assistance to build an administration capable of collecting ta/es from its citi+ens and businesses. E!en the rich 6reeks must pay Gprogressi!eH ta/. (f necessary, something similar #ill be done for $ortugal, Spain and (taly, although (taly appears today stronger than 1ust a year or t#o ago, e!en though no one kno#s ho# the situation #ill e!ol!e after the 8ario 8onti era has found such a sudden end. ill Sil!io &erlusconi ha!e a come*back e!en after his con!iction by (talian courts' E!ery#here, corruption and financial crime must be combated acti!ely and effecti!ely. Another #ay to sol!e the financial crisis might be the follo#ing- (f a country in financial difficulties has taken appropriate measures to control the primary deficit before interest payments, i.e. if it #ould need ne# loans only for paying the inte!e t on current loans but not for the current budget, then the E4& #ould come to the rescue for the payment of such interests. )nly then can the country in 2uestion really start actually repaying the debt itself

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and #ill no longer need to indebt itself further 1ust to pay the interests and compound interests on its debt. The ne/t step is to in!est in those countries of the Euro*3one that are still economically the #eakest. .o#e!er, it is not enough to create the infrastructure for a !ibrant economy #ithout including the economic actors themsel!es. .ere, one could take $oland as an e/ample, #hich #as certainly not in a brilliant position #hen it became a member of the European Union. &ut it has in!ested resources intelligently and in!ol!ed partners from the beginning. At the same time, #e must put in place alternati!e rating agencies to 8oodyAs, 7itch "atings, Standard Q $oorAs, etc. in Europe. They should sound the alarm much earlier than e/isting agencies tend to do, if they are to be effecti!e. (t is indeed much too late if an agency dra#s attention to the finances of a State #hen debts are already close to the limit of 1JJU of 6@$. The EU itself had used DJU as the upper limit Gbefore the 6erman reunificationH. e should probably sound the alarm as soon as a debt of 3JU of 6@$ is reached. At this ratio, debts are still easy to control. E!erything beyond that is hard to manage. (n addition, #e also need a banking super!ision that :o!; and at the moment as ( #rite these lines, there is actually an approach going in the right direction- the European 4entral &ank GE4&H is being gi!en the right Gand the dutyH to closely obser!e the ma1or EU banks and raise a finger of #arning if they take too much risk or are risking to grant too many loans to non*credit#orthy clients and could become insol!ent as a result. The E4& may force them to comply #ith the rules relating to their e2uity and debt. This ne# regulation #ill enter into force in 8arch 2J10. ,ot much #ill happen until then. .o#e!er, in order to create a sound financial system in Europe, #e need a true banking union as #ell as a fund #ith the help of #hich sick banks can, if needed, be #ound up #ithout their customers suffering damage. ,ot#ithstanding, #e are still !ery far from that situation. $rogress in the EU is infinitely tedious and it ad!ances to the snailAs pace, if at all. )n the other hand, globali+ation is progressing regularly and ne# #ays to circum!ent the regulations applied to the financial #orld are found at the speed of light * before noticing. )n the political le!el, e!erything #orks much too slo#ly and stops fre2uently half#ay before reaching destination. The #orld of financial inno!ation runs a#ay al#ays much faster than control can follo#. 7ollo#ing the rescue of 6reece, $ortugal, Spain and perhaps e!en (taly, #e might be re#arded #ith greater inflation rates, gi!en that the rescue money must be printed, or must at least be deposited on the accounts of the concerned creditors, e!en if it is only !irtual money. The difficulty that no# arises is that the money that is repaid to creditors ;must= be rein!ested, #hether it is printed or !irtual money is irrele!ant. (t may be recalled here that debts represent money that has been spent for real things and ser!ices, #hich ha!e been consumed. This money has changed hands and takes no# part in the monetary circuit. (f the creditors are compensated by the 4entral &ank #ith fresh money, issued by the &ank, this ne#ly created money is added to the money already in circulation. Thus, a ne# balance bet#een the amount of money Gmonetary massH on one side and the offering of goods and ser!ices on the other side should emerge, resulting in a decrease in the purchasing po#er per currency unit and should therefore lead to an increase in inflation, at least in the longer term. This is a simple cause and effect phenomenon applying to all national or shared currencies. Mou cannot get a#ay #ith printing money in large 2uantities #ithout risking higher inflation rates. .ad the Euro been the international reser!e currency instead of the US @ollar, this fate might ha!e been a!oided since the international community

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#ould ha!e footed the bill. .o#e!er, #e may not see this inflation through higher prices of goods and ser!ices in the short term, and this for a simple reason(t #ould ob!iously be nice if that ne# money #ere no# in!ested in a producti!e #ay in small and medium*si+ed enterprises or in the teaching and education of young people or in the de!elopment of infrastructure or for other useful purposes. This can unfortunately not be e/pected. 8oney is not intelligent or altruistic. (t seeks either a safe ha!en #ith the ability to magically multiply or looks for Goften di!ersifiedH risk in!estment #ith the possibility of !ery high profits. (n other #ords, the money that the creditors recei!e from the central banks is ploughed back into the financial markets K #here it dri!es up share prices or dri!es do#n the interests for go!ernment bonds K instead of being in!ested in the real economy, #here the e/penditure #ould probably heat up inflation but at the same time ha!e a positi!e effect on the economy. These erroneous tracks that surplus money takes #hen it is left on its o#n, and the dilemma, that the States are not able to ha!e it #ithout ha!ing to pay a hefty price for it, could be a!oided. These surfeit financial means should be hea!ily ta/ed at source and the gathered ta/ should directly be led to the places #here it is needed. (t should be noted, ho#e!er, that this money does largely not come from ta/able sources. 7or e/ample, so!ereign #ealth funds and petrodollars cannot in the least be ta/ed in Europe. 7urthermore, one needs to ask the 2uestion #hether the State is effecti!e in redistributing money and ho# far ta/es can rise #ithout paraly+ing the entrepreneurial spirit5 because enterprises are indeed one of the fe# sources that can be ta/ed to a certain e/tent. Thus, the State must first learn to be more efficient in the redistribution of #ealth. (t is not enough to transfer the money from the rich to the poor. This transfer must also ha!e the effect that people at the bottom of the social ladder are empo#ered to help themsel!es and be able to get out of the !icious cycle of po!erty and dependence. .ere, the State should appeal to pri!ate support. ith regard to the ta/ation of businesses, it makes sense to subsidi+e young companies in their de!elopment phase and to ta/ them !ery #eakly or not at all at this critical time so they can gro# and become strong and solid economic factors. )nce attained this stage, these companies may be ta/ed according to their economic strength #ithout impeding their ability of rein!esting into their o#n future. 7or this to #ork, the e/isting ta/ ha!ens that e/ist not only outside the EU but also inside must be neutrali+ed. This can only be done #hen Europe speaks #ith one !oice, i.e. #hen #e ha!e the United States of Europe. Speculati!e gains and other financial operations may also be ta/ed. There remains the 2uestion of ho# this can be done in a globalised #orld. That each nation seeks for itself to find #ays ho# to regulate capitalism and in particular the international financial system is absolutely absurd in todayFs #orld, because this #ould be utterly impossible. )nly at the le!el of a United Europe is there a possibility to make a difference. e should do e!erything to sei+e this opportunity. e could also appeal to the European patriotism of the richest J.J1 per cent of our population and ask them to not only think in terms of benefit in the short term, but rather in terms of a broader long*term prosperity in #hich the upper class has more chances of sur!i!al than in a #orld of e/treme contrasts bet#een rich and poor. Trying this might be #orth its #hile. A combination of reduced debt ser!ice by the States themsel!es, the #illingness of the upper class to participate in this dept reduction and a helping hand from the E4& in order to enable

IJ

the continued in!estment in the social features of a moderatePreasonable #elfare state, #ould probably be the best and most elegant #ay out of the current debt crisis. (f this does not #ork, #hich #ould ob!iously be regrettable, but #hich is to be e/pected, then the lack of participation of the top G#ealthyH layer of society in the national debt restructuring #ould lead us to run*a#ay inflation. .o#e!er, there might still be the follo#ing #ay out(n 2J10 or 2J1> or e!en a year later, a monetary reform is carried out. A ne# E4U becomes the e2ui!alent of 1J Euros. Similarly to the ?une 1B0C currency reform, #hich #as conducted by the 6erman federal 8inister of Economics, 9ud#ig Erhard, the money surplus is thus instantly brought do#n. ith this solution, indi!iduals as #ell as legal persons are concerned. The State Gin this case the European 7ederationH thus cancels de facto BJU of its debt Gonly 1JU of debt is con!erted at a ratio of 1J to 1 into E4UsH and gets a balanced budget, #hich it must no# maintain. (n theory, this reform #ould e!en today be an elegant #ay to put State finances back on track and make a ne# start. (t remains to be seen, ho#e!er, #hether this is indeed also possible in practice, since companies of all si+es operate today in a global en!ironment. (f the plan can be kept secret until its implementation in a moment of surprise, #e might ha!e a chance to succeed. Met, in the age of iki9eaks and T#itters, #e can no longer be sure that this is feasible. As soon as someone gets hold of the smallest bit of information about the operation, e!eryone in Europe #ill, in a mo!ement of panic, get rid of the euro, #hich then soon completely loses its !alue and the citi+ens #ill suffer as much as the companies G#ith the e/ception maybe of !ery large companies, #hich in any case use large amounts of other currencies for their transactions, especially the dollar,H. (n @ecember 2J12, 6reece demonstrated that a country taking part in the currency union can, #ith the help of institutional partners, succeed to buy back its o#n debt at lo#er cost Gin this case at about one*third of the nominal !alueH. .o#e!er, such action can only take place #ithin !ery narro# limits. 6reece is a small country, and its debt is therefore e!aluable. hen it comes to a large debtor such as (taly, things are different. 4reditors #ill not be ready to sell large 2uantities of their loans on the free market so they can be re*ac2uired by a country in financial difficulties, if that debtor is still sol!ent, be it only partially. (f the debtor country is not yet completely bankrupt, the creditor al#ays hopes to reco!er the totality of the loan granted. And yet, it is 1ust this bankruptcy that must be pre!ented by all means. Things are ob!iously complicated #hen a country shares its currency #ith other countries. Another approach * no consideration should be taboo here * might look like this- (f the banks do not play the game #hen #e redefine their playing fields, #e can al#ays create a ne# State* o#ned banking system, #hose capital is pro!ided by the 4entral &ank and #hich has the mission to pro!ide small and medium*si+ed companies #ith money and manage sa!ings and income of ordinary citi+ens and pay reasonable interest on their deposits. 4onglomerates and large companies can also borro# money from these banks, if they fulfil certain conditions, as for e/ample gi!e up obscene pay of their e/ecuti!es and stop offering stock options. (n addition, they must pro!e they are in!esting in the long term and stop feeding the stock market sho#. 4ompanies, #hich undertake to comply #ith these conditions, #ill recei!e a special pri+e, #hich they can use for image culti!ation. E!en ?ack elch, the former 4E) Guntil 2JJ1H of 6eneral Electric G6EH, #ho has, again and again, pushed his company to make profits of 1>U Gand moreH and #ho, in this #ay, succeeded in multiplying the !alue of 6E shares by forty, admitted later that this #as absolute stupidity. An enterprise or institution

I1

cannot simply skim off profits and at the same time remain in e2uilibrium #ith the en!ironment in #hich it operates. (f too much money is subtracted from the real economy to gi!e to shareholders, #ho re*in!est it mostly in other, often speculati!e shares, there is not enough room for the real economy to gro#. The large in!estment banks are, ho#e!er, no longer pro!ided #ith money from the 4entral &ank, but must find it on the open market. ith this money, they can then continue to speculate and make other mischief if they so please and if their creditors agree. &ut for doing so, they must not use the sa!ings or any other bank deposits from citi+ens. The 2uestion remains #hether politicians ha!e the courage to play this scenario up to the end * ( doubt it. A beautiful solution to this problem #ould be to ha!e a special #orld#ide ;speculation currency= the use of #hich should be compulsory for any speculati!e transaction and #hich is rated against ;real currencies= on a daily basis. This #ould highlight the ;casino 2uality= G!ery much like chipsH of this currency and its !irtual and !olatile character. (f too many speculati!e ob1ects lose their speculati!e !alue, then this ;speculation currency= loses !alue against the real currencies #ithout affecting the latter. 7e# people, organisations, institutions or agencies #ould probably continue their speculati!e ad!entures. Unfortunately, the financial lobby #ould probably be too strong for this currency to see the light of the day. &ut considering this possibility as a thought e/periment should be a fertile e/ercise. )n the other hand, the recent past has sho#n that the attacks on the European monetary system did not ha!e an e/cessi!ely lasting effect as soon as the pertinent 6o!ernments and the European 4entral &ank e/pressed their #illingness to preser!e the current monetary system and to make a!ailable the necessary resources for its consolidation. The Europeans ha!e #on time for a more sustainable solution. &ut this time should not be #asted by doing nothing. (t seems that the only realistic #ay out of the current mess is the creation of a genuine Union, i.e. the United States of Europe. And if this is not feasible #ith the 2I 8ember States, #hy not try it #ith the 1I countries of the Euro +one or the D founding countries of the EE4' 6ermany, #hich from this point of !ie# has the best e/perience #ith a federal structure, should for once o!ercome its reticence and assume a leadership role in this case. Similarly to her predecessor 6erhard SchrVder, 8rs 8erkel has unfortunately lately turned her eyes a#ay from Europe, and this particularly in anticipation of the looming elections in September 2J13. .o#e!er, she could mo!e things in the right direction, if only she #anted. 8any other States of the Union e/pect this from 6ermany. (t is almost a moral obligation for her to do so5 and this not only singlehandedly together #ith 7rance G#hich #ill not #ork gi!en the centralised structure of the 7rench StateH, but through the hard #ork of persuasion #ith all partners. .elmut :ohl had this already #ell understood. 4ountries of the European Union, #hich are fa!ourable to the idea of a 7ederal Union, should also acti!ely participate in the discussion. 7inally, #e should not forget to also in!ol!e the citi+ens in the discussions and in the efforts of persuasion. This is absolutely necessary since #e cannot a!oid a true referendum or similar mechanism to ask them #hether they #ould be happy #ith the creation of such a 7ederal Union. The public must therefore be #ell prepared and pro!ided #ith all rele!ant information. )nce the pioneering countries ha!e reached some predetermined goals, other countries may 1oin if they commit themsel!es to follo# the prescribed route. The States that choose to unite in a true 7ederation must do so kno#ing full #ell and absolutely that the end result #ill be a ne# Unitarian 7ederal State, such as the United States

I2

of America, #ith armed forces, legislation, an operational and effecti!e $arliament, a head of State, ta/ re!enues, a budget, diplomatic missions etc. This ob1ecti!e must be achie!ed as soon as possible * #ithout hesitation, #ithout haggling, #ithout 2uarrels. @o not allo# the national languages to be an insurmountable obstacle to such a Union. The .oly "oman Empire had united the peoples of se!eral languages #ithin its borders and S#it+erland still does. European leaders ha!e a great responsibility today #hen it comes to #here Europe should be in 1J to 2J years from no# and they cannot but face up to this responsibility. hen the ne# federal 6o!ernment of the United States of Europe is in place, it must immediately begin to assert certain prerogati!es in economic, commercial and financial policies. (t makes no sense that real politics align #ith !irtual economies and !irtual financial markets. (mpotent politics ha!e no right to e/ist. .o#e!er, in a national conte/t, it is e/tremely difficult to change things. The 6o!ernment of the European 7ederation can respond differently. At this echelon, political, economic and financial*market agents are at le!el playing field and long*term go!ernment policy is better placed to indicate the direction to follo# and make sense of the future than the other partners. e cannot escape the duty to take the financial system out of its !irtual #orld and reconnect it #ith the real economy% As already mentioned, #e need a strong and United Europe that can sit at the same table #ith the other economic po#ers, to set the rules for the financial system, once the latter has become sober once again. As already mentioned earlier, #e must also put an end to the system of ta/ ha!ens. (t is unacceptable that gains are directed to#ards ta/ ha!ens #ithout that the Treasury can inter!ene. (f someone #ants ta/ ha!ens to benefit from his or her earnings or other gains, then these earnings or gains should be produced in the local economy of these Aha!ensA. A re!ie# and strengthening of the regulation of the European stock e/change should be carried out as soon as 2J1>. Speculati!e transactions on currencies as #ell as on deri!ati!es, ra# materials and agricultural products are remo!ed from the menu. (n!estors are encouraged to make long*term in!estments, but also to think about supporting young and rising companies. The po#ers of the European 4entral &ank are modelled on those of the &ank of England, to directly influence the monetary mass in circulation and making monetary policy in agreement #ith the 6o!ernment, #ithout losing sight of the mission to obser!e and control inflation. &anks are sub1ect to stricter super!ision and the e/perts necessary for this sur!eillance are trained and e2uipped #ith appropriate po#ers. (n!estment banks are carefully separated from deposit banks. @eposit banks can no longer use money from customers for risky in!estment and speculati!e transactions. (n!estment banks are responsible for themsel!es and #ith their o#n capital for any compensation if their acti!ities are concluded under an erroneous assessment of risk and in!estors should kno# this. 8oreo!er, speculati!e financial transactions are GmarginallyH ta/ed. The reader may recall that at some point, there #as talk about the ATobin ta/A that #as originally designed for the foreign e/change market, #here transactions take place in a fe# seconds, e!en milliseconds, to mitigate the !olatility of currency parities. A similar ta/ should be le!ied on any kind of speculati!e transaction. The State does no longer assume responsibility if something goes #rong for in!estment banks Gno bailoutsH. Something similar #as proposed by ?ohn Oickers, the &ritish Economist, in 2J11 Gring fencingH and by $aul Oolker, the former federal reser!e 4hairman, in 2JJB. Such a la# had e/isted in the US since 1B33, under "oose!elt Gi.e. the 6lass*Steagall ActH. Unfortunately, this Act #as subse2uently amended se!eral times and #as finally entirely abolished in 1BBB, under the $residency of &ill 4linton. )nly these

I3

changes and finally the complete repeal of the Act, #hich led to the complete deregulation of the financial markets, made possible the AsubprimeA crisis of 2JJC. Economic policy must ensure that the USE not only faces global competition in good shape, but also plays a ma1or role. 7or this, it #ill promote cooperation bet#een companies and unions and #ill grant trade unions certain rights of co*management regarding enterprise policy. Education and research strategies #ill ha!e central roles and the promotion of regional AclustersA of inno!ation, for e/ample in the field of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, information technology, etc., should be a priority. hat can #e do today to get sustainable economic gro#th' e must remember that there is no lack of capital. This capital is 1ust in!ested in the #rong #ay- into speculati!e ob1ects on the stock e/change or into tangible ob1ects in the form of o!erpriced real estate, etc. )n the other hand, in many countries, and particularly in 7rance, society is too much attached to the preser!ation of ac2uired pri!ileges and thus suffocating in the bud any up#ards or side#ays mobility. Trade unions in particular ha!e a responsibility in all of this. They do not bother about those #ho are e/cluded from the social and economic life simply because they do not ha!e the selfish and aggressi!e mindset that you need to succeed in life or do not ha!e the skills in demand. $ost*industrial society cannot merely pro!ide ser!ices and claim these ser!ices are uni2ue and cannot be imitated by the emerging nations. Especially mobile ser!ices can be !ery #ell imitated else#here. A purely post*industrial society #ill therefore lead to absurdity. A minimum of industry must remain in the country and this industry must produce competiti!e 2uality products. (nno!ation is necessary. &ut it must be #ell considered and not become an end in itself G( take on this aspect in the ne/t but one paragraphH. To do something lasting, industry must open its doors for the generation of young #orkers. &eside more and more speciali+ed professionals, #ho are trained in uni!ersities and elite schools, industry itself must train young #orkers those skills that it needs, and undertake to again adopt the principle of apprenticeship. (t is a crucial door#ay to enter the labour market. 4ompanies must make this in!estment to secure their o#n future. (t is crucial% (n addition, #e should make it easier for ne# businesses to gro# and become large companies% 7rom the socio*political and macro*economic point of !ie#, it is of no benefit to society, #hen a young company, as soon as it starts to make a little profit, say after three or four years, is bought by a multinational to then disappear in the thickets of this conglomerate. After ( had brought my thoughts on the current financial and debt crisis do#n on paper, ( indulged in reading the Stiglit+ "eport1D and thereby disco!ered that my analysis of this international crisis does in many parts not much di!ert from that presented there, #hile the proposed solutions are not al#ays the same. The "eport attempts to adapt the solutions to the e/isting conditions #ithout breaking the established frame#ork, #hile ( belie!e that in many instances this may not be feasible. Although the report is not easily digestible reading, ( do recommend it. ( should like, ho#e!er, to go to bat for the capitalism of the post*#ar period Gafter the Second orld arH. (t brought to the #orld * e!en if not e!ery#here in the same #ay * considerable progress in the area of prosperity, health, technical and technological inno!ation, the global e/change of physical and cultural goods and the efficient use of labour. (n the meantime, capitalism met its limits * at least in its current form. Entrepreneurship, start*ups, and
1D

0tiglit9 report to the H* 4eneral Assem&l! on Mune 26 200> ;report o$ the (ommission o$ eKperts o$ the )resident o$ the Hnited *ations 4eneral Assem&l! on re$orms o$ the international monetar! and $inancial s!stem<

I0

inno!ation ha!e become the 6olden 4al!es, around #hich e!erybody dances. Today, inno!ation has often become an end in itself5 see, for e/ample the company Apple, #hich continually replaces its o#n products that it has 1ust put on the market, #ith ne# !ersions. (t is al#ays surprising, ho# Apple marketing succeeds again and again con!incing itFs young Gand olderH customers that the ne#est product is an absolute A8USTA. The enthusiasm of the Apple fans is incredible. They almost sacrifice their last pennies for these products and #ith a fre2uency that surprises. (n addition, industry gurus tell us that soon #e cannot li!e #ithout Smartphones or similar products. And #hen the Smartphone has started its triumph, the ne/t product, for e/ample the smart #atches or smart glasses are already planned. And so it #ill continue. E!en 8icrosoft has designed indo#s so that #e need a ne# !ersion e!ery three, four years. These are really golden*eggs*laying*hen. And thatAs not enough * computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones, etc. are difficult to discard. There are a number of precious rare earth metals in the electronics of these de!ices #orth recycling, but their reco!ery is e/tremely difficult. (f these metals cannot be reco!ered because it #ould be uneconomic, #e #ill soon ha!e a serious en!ironmental problem. ( think this economic race against time and the concomitant en!ironmental risks are not !ery satisfactory. Mouth is also often not a#are of the side effects of this race, #hich is a competition of all against all, in fact almost a #ar of all against all. (t is e/tremely dangerous and costly for society, because !ictims must be medically treated. (t encourages primiti!e indi!idualism or egoism and kills the sense for the community, #ithout #hich a society cannot e/ist in the long term. hat #e no# need is not some additional technological inno!ations that soon nobody #ill any longer be able to pay for * and this also applies to the sector of medical care * but social inno!ations. (f #e do not #ant to risk e!erything #e ha!e achie!ed to date, #e must reflect on ho# #e can share Gperhaps more modestH prosperity #ithout putting society to the test. 8any people, #hom unbridled competition has made superfluous and thro#n out of #ork, ha!e already become familiar #ith a much more modest ;prosperity=5 and more and more people #ill get to kno# this situation and they #ill not al#ays be unskilled people. The United States of Europe should also create a so!ereign #ealth 7und, as did ,or#ay, 4hina and the )$E4 countries. ith this 7und, in!estments, that #ouldnAt be possible by the pri!ate or public sector, could be carried out. Economic gro#th alone #ill not bring about real prosperity in the future. This gro#th, e!en if it is still possible, must be accompanied by socially responsible measures. 8odern information technology #ould easily allo# us today to #ork part*time and share our daily #ork #ith another person, #ith the same or better efficiency of full*time #ork for one person. Then, #e could gi!e less #ork to more people. ( am a#are that #e run the risk of a#akening the old contro!ersy on the topic of the of the 3> hours #eek in 7rance. (n fact, the problem is simple- (f a large part of my salary must be spent for my housing, ( need a comfortable salary. "eal estate speculation dro!e up real estate prices so 2uickly that for many ordinary employees the remaining money after payment of rent or loans for home*o#nership is no longer enough to li!e a decent life. )n the other hand, for many ordinary retirees or pensioners rental fee is also a big problem. &ut politics are not courageous and persistent enough to address this problem. The free+ing of rental prices #ould be #elcome as #ell as that of construction costs. )f course, #e all kno# that #e ha!e on the one hand an e/plosion of energy prices and these prices #ill further increase if #e go ahead #ith rene#able energy. )n the other hand, the primary andPor fiscal deficits of national budgets do not allo# for accelerated construction of rental properties. .o#e!er, at one point, #e need to do something

I>

if #e do not #ant to return to an e/plosi!e situation, #here #e are faced #ith mass po!erty G6reece and Spain already gi!e us a foretaste of #hat may happenH. e cannot a!oid, sooner or later, carefully, but resolutely, touching and changing the distribution of #ealth. )ther#ise, #hat resulted in the 7rench re!olution in 1ICB and led to the elimination of feudal absolutism could happen again today. )nly, the target #ould not be the feudal aristocracy, but the Efinancial aristocracyE and there #ould be much ne# misery to bear, especially since #e are no longer a >JU a rural population but rather \BJU dependent on a sophisticated economy #hich 1ust has to #ork if #e #ant to sur!i!e. (n addition, society is getting older and older and #e are o!erburdening the younger generation if #e continue taking up retirement as usual at DJ or D> years. This is #hy some 6o!ernments ha!e already decided to raise the age of retirement, e!en if this should be in part against strong resistance. 8oreo!er, people at retirement age are a large reser!oir of producti!e #ork force, #hich could and should be used in the form of !olunteers or for a modest remuneration. 8any people at retirement age do not feel the need to retire and #ould be happy if they could pursue a re#arding 1ob. This is especially important for countries #ith a lo# birth rate. Thus, the transition to a smaller population, especially in the case of 6ermany, (taly and Spain could be managed #ithout too much difficulty. &ut this reser!oir is also of great importance for countries #ith normal fertility rates. The benefit deri!ed from the use of the e/perience of the elderly should not be underestimated, as #ell as the possibility of transfer of their e/perience to the ne/t generation. "egarding the decline for e/ample of the 6erman or (talian population, ( #ould add that ( donAt really see a problem. )n the contrary, #ith a smaller population each indi!idual #ould en1oy a little more geographical space and people #ould be better off and li!e more at ease. "eal estate prices #ould fall and life #ould become less e/pensi!e. 8oreo!er, e!en neighbourly relations and family life could benefit. That #e should ha!e to #ork longer, many people #ould regard this as a pri!ilege rather than a burden. ,aturally #e ha!e to consider the physical state and mind of each person indi!idually #hen it comes to maintaining a person in employment or other#ise acti!e until age IJ and perhaps beyond. .o#e!er, in order to a!oid loss of competiti!eness, 6erman, (talian, Spanish, etc, populations #ould need to raise their educational standards for young people and offer first class training for more senior people so that close to 1JJ U of the citi+ens can be kept in ;producti!e= employment. (ocial innovation in these areas * and in other similar areas * is therefore an absolute necessity if #e #ant to a!oid a ne# re!olution that #ould bring, at least at first, nothing but suffering for all. 4apitalism in its present form is unable to accomplish this, #hich does not mean that it is a fundamental inability of capitalism. The foundations of #ealthy Americans, as for e/ample, &ill 6ates, pro!e that there is a significant potential. )n the other hand, 8itt "omney has sho#n that it can be difficult for the representati!es of capitalism to understand the needs of ordinary people. (f capitalism is e/pected to #ork, then it needs rational and ethic rules, #hich it must undertake to follo# and the State needs instruments to ensure compliance #ith these rules. (n particular in the field of housing shortage, social inno!ation is necessary. ( already mentioned one possibility earlier- allo# a ne# start for those people stranded on the shores of unemployment * a ne# departure Aa#ayA from our ci!ili+ation. Some regions, such as for e/ample the E8assif 4entralE in 7rance or 8ecklenburg* estern $omerania in 6ermany e/perienced a significant e/odus of its population in recent years. .ere, #e could enable a ne# start for these people and e!en keep open the possibility of a return to the Aci!ili+edA society once economic conditions permit. ( also mentioned the e/ample of the 8ennonites in the United States of America. Through the related tightening

ID

of the labour market, because most probably people not struck by unemployment #ould also find this alternati!e #ay of life attracti!e, #e could perhaps see the return of higher #age le!els, #hich #ould be good for the economy. )nce #e ha!e come out of the present financial and economic crisis to#ards the year 2J2J, it #ill be necessary as soon as possible to make a profound constitutional amendment in order to consolidate the United States of Europe. The concept of ,ations #ith the cacophonies that go #ith it should finally disappear from the !ocabulary of the Union. Therefore, a political Union at a t#o*le!el structure should be created #here the top le!el is represented by the federal 6o!ernment, i.e. the 6o!ernment of the Union, and the second le!el by the regions. The regions #ould then be States. &russels #ould be confirmed as the permanent and effecti!e EU capital. The city should ha!e a similar status as ashington, @.4., i.e., it #ould belong to no region or State, but #ould directly be placed under the responsibility of the supreme organ of the USE. This #ould at the same time resol!e the dispute of the t#o &elgian regions o!er &russels. The USE might e!en adopt the "oyal family as representati!e .ead of State, and thus use it as a figurehead for the Union. 6reat &ritain, or better, the United :ingdom, pro!es that for already three hundred years democracy and GconstitutionalH monarchy can be complementary K at first hesitantly and later, under Sueen Oictoria and 6eorge O, resolutely. &ut this is of course a matter of taste. 7inally, $arliament G.ouse of 4ommons, 9o#er .ouseH must be e2uipped #ith the necessary po#ers for legislation and the 4ouncil of 8inisters be replaced by a 4ouncil G.ouse of 9ords, Upper .ouseH #here the regions are represented. e can call these t#o institutions, AASenateAA and AA4hamber of "epresentati!esAA and e2uip them #ith appropriate authority. The 4ommission #ill be replaced by an elected 6o!ernment. The president of the 4ommission is replaced by a 4hancellor or $rime 8inister. The president of the European Union #ill probably ha!e a more representati!e character as this is for e/ample the case today in (taly and 6ermany Gon condition that #e do not keep the "oyal family of &elgium to represent the USE * other#ise, it #onAt need a $residentH. )nce the Union has finally become a reality, one should also opt for one single ;official= language. Since &ritain is no longer a member of the Union, #e no longer need to consider English as that language. ith the rapid decline of the 6erman population o!er the ne/t 3J years, #e do not necessarily #ant to consider 6erman as that language. &esides English, 7rench is perhaps the ,o t :idel/ $ ed econd lan)$a)e in Europe and in the #orld. As such, it en1oys international status and might con!ene as the official language for Europe. &ut here, the citi+ens of the Union should decide. $erhaps they #ould decide, and especially youth under 3J years old, for English as an official language after all' 7inally, ( #ould like to e/press the hope that in particular the younger generation, #hich has also the po#er to do so, may no# be committed to demand the changes in European policy5 that it feels moti!ated by the considerations presented here5 and that it #ill do e!erything possible to ensure that the European idea regains strength and !itality. ( should like to reiterate a concern addressed in the $reface- in particular the younger generation should not allo# itself to be infected by the Euro*scepticism of the older generation that cannot help but think in national terms. Euro*sceptics are mostly those #ho ha!e al#ays opposed European integration and could not imagine li!ing other#ise than #ith a 4+ech, .ungarian, @anish, @utch, 6erman, (talian, 7rench, &ritish, and so on, national identity. The 7rench had to find out during their recent discussion on their national identity, ho# difficult it is today, to define that so*called national identity.

II

(f youth belie!e in Europe and e/press this belief #hen addressing politics in discussions, using appropriate forums, in demonstrations, and in election rallies, politicians #ill not be able to ignore this mo!ement. 8y generation, #hich has already reached a more ad!anced age, and the intermediate generation feel disappointed by Europe, and many of us think that ,ations are much better e2uipped to face todayFs problems. E!erything #ould be much better if each country had its o#n currency and could then de!alue these currencies if needed, all of them against all of them. )f course, this #ould not #ork but it fits !ery #ell #ith the modern era, #here indi!idualism is :ing and the community and commitment to others are not en !ogue. ( belie!e that the younger generation is more enthusiastic than #e, the older people. And then, #hy on earth, not being enthusiastic about an ideal that could be achie!ed in practice' These young #omen and men #ould later be proud of their Europe and their children and grandchildren #ould be grateful to them. Since the end of the 1Cth century, the effort to mitigate the dichotomy bet#een the indi!idual, on the one hand and the community on the other hand has focused on the creation of nations and belonging to such a nation. The nation #as the supreme good and the indi!iduals #ere going to sacrifice their li!es to defend this nation. .egel says in his E$henomenology of 8indE that the indi!iduals of a people and their nation find themsel!es in the same spirit to form a #hole, an entity. .e e!en talks about the spirit or mind of the people Gpeople in the sense of the sum of the inhabitants of a nationH. ?ean*?ac2ues "ousseau also e/pressed similar ideas in his EThe Social 4ontractE. ell, today things appear a little differently. The modern indi!idual #ants to concei!e and understand himself or herself as an indi!idual. The identification #ith the nation does not really #ork any longer, #hich, naturally the conser!ati!e part of the population regrets, but the Aprogressi!eA part accepts as an ine!itable trend. (n a broader #hole, namely Europe, this dichotomy #ould ha!e no reason to e/ist, because Europe does not ha!e the same demand on the indi!idual as the nation. TodayAs younger generation in Europe is probably the first generation since the emergence of the nation as a principle of cohesion bet#een its members that does no longer regard it as their first duty to sacrifice their li!es for the sake of the continued e/istence of their nation. They see attracti!e alternati!es to the nation and they #ould be happy to persuade politicians to e/plore these alternati!es. )n the other hand, the indi!idual may #ell feel integrated in the local or regional en!ironment. To me it seems that #e should be thrilled by this solution and do e!erything to get there. )ne should perhaps also think about a ne# Asocial contract A' (n the future, there #ill be more and more people in Europe, #ho #ill lead a life of great mobility, similar to mine. This is due in part to the fact that the nation has become too small for them and they thus escape from this encumbrance to enrich their li!es. 8oreo!er, mobility is a big plus at the time #here 1obs are scarce. $eople e/pect more from Europe, than it is prepared to gi!e them. They #ill be disappointed and physically andPor mentally turn their back on Europe if the creation of a truly federal European Union Gand #ithout fatherlandsH is not soon !igorously re*launched. ( ha!e already noted in another conte/t, that li!ing together here on Earth is only rarely guided by reason. Emotions, indi!idual or collecti!e interests, passions, benefits in the short term, etc. ha!e al#ays been the stronger stimulus. And this also applies to politics. .o#e!er, the current situation is such, that politicians in Europe cannot any longer afford such lu/ury. e are no# at a threshold #here Europe must opt for a #akeup to attain moral and political greatness or for the gradual but irresistible decline to insignificance Gin #hich you can

IC

ob!iously also li!e !ery #ell for a #hile, but only for a #hileH. Today, Europe has the choice. e ha!e started this thing5 #hy not bring it to a good end' The ans#er to the 2uestion asked at the beginning of this book, #hether Europe is already in shambles #ithout the possibility of a #ay out cannot yet be gi!en #ith certainty. @eeply going repairs #ith a radical change in the general direction are probably still possible if #e decide to do so #ithin one, t#o or, at the latest three years. (n my opinion, past this period there #ill not be much that can be done because all the family sil!er #ill be sold off G6reek ports, post offices, islands, $ortuguese shipyard, etc.H, and the European idea #ill ha!e no longer credibility among citi+ens. &ut then again, European resilience may be stronger than ( assume. (n order for it to sur!i!e it #ill, #ithout any doubt, not only need credible politicians but also some imagination and poetry% 6et the citi+ens to dream again% 8ay be e!en the &ritish $eople could be made dreaming about Europe if the ;continent= gets things right.

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ANNEN )n 2I 8ay, 6unther :richbaum, 4hairman of the 4ommittee for European Union Affairs, ga!e a speech on the 9isbon Treaty at the .umboldt*Uni!ersity in &erlin, in #hich he stated in substance, among other things, that the European $arliament is strengthened by the 9isbon Treaty. So far, it could only gi!e its opinion or, in some cases, e/ercise a right of !eto. ,o#, it is roughly on par #ith the 4ouncil and the 4ommission and may participate in decisions. Thus, the democratic essence of the European Union itself #ill be considerably strengthened. &ut thereAs still something else- EU citi+ens #ill no# ha!e the opportunity to also take themsel!es the initiati!e by making use of the right to start European 4iti+ensF (nitiati!es. The 9isbon Treaty pro!ides that, once at least one million European citi+ens ha!e signed a petition, the 4ommission may be in!ited by this citi+enAs initiati!e, to pursue certain ob1ecti!es #hich then are reflected in ne# acts of la# Ge.g. EU regulations, directi!es, decisions, recommendations or opinionsPcommentsH, #hich, in the best of cases, are then integrated into the EU legislation. These one million citi+ens may participate in a petition !ia the (nternet. .o#e!er they must be residents Eof a significant number of 8ember StatesE. This corresponds to only J.2U of the population of the EU and should thus be easily possible. 6unther :richbaum has a !ery positi!e opinion about the 9isbon Treaty and says;(n its ultimate conse2uence, the 9isbon Treaty gi!es the European Union once again a capacity for action. <<< Until no#, European integration took place by means of the economy and especially agriculture and competition. )ther areas of policy, ho#e!er, clearly remain o!erdue. This #ill no# change. European integration must not stop there. In the past, we all too often asked whether Europe can do what it wants. The 2uestion that arises at present is- does Europe want to do what it can do? The 9isbon Treaty no# creates the bases to enable Europe to better e/ploit its potential. This also means that Europe must concentrate on those areas that go beyond the strength of the indi!idual ,ation States * e!en though this _strength` may be !ery great.= 9et me, the author of this book, add here that there are indeed many policy areas that go beyond the strength of indi!idual ,ation States. The current financial crisis is only the most striking e/ample. See also- http-PP###.#hi*berlin.euPdocumentsP"ede*6unther]:richbaum,]8d&.pdf &oncl$ ion( The 9isbon Treaty is not yet the great success. )n the other hand, it has some potential. (n particular the citi+ensF initiati!es could change our future. &ut first, the citi+ens should kno# #hat they #ant. This booklet calls on the citi+ens to think about this. (f their thoughts lead them to gather behind the idea of a truly United Europe, then they should organise demonstrations in the streets or in important places so that politicians become a#are of the ne# dri!e. (f after some time a consensus emerges in se!eral EU 8ember States about ho# Europe should look like in the future, then, this consensus could form the basis of a petition on the (nternet #ith a million or more signatures and be for#arded to the 4ommission. )ne should keep this in mind as #ell.

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Epilogue
(f this booklet achie!es a certain resonance in the public, (All be encouraged to describe my !ision of Europe and ho# to get there in more detail than ( could do it in this booklet. 8ean#hile, the EU may catch up #ith some of the steps missed out so far but described in the first part of this pamphlet. (n my opinion, a Eurotrain remains a beautiful pro1ect. The 7rench S,47, the (talian Trenitalia and the 6erman &undesbahn as #ell as the &enelu/ countriesF rail#ay companies could gather their net#orks under the European flag and create a supranational rail#ay company. )ther countries could 1oin in. (f Eurostar #as not already a rail#ay company pursuant to the legislation of the United :ingdom, one could e/tend the model to the founding 8ember States of the European 4ommunity. (t #ould be 2uite possible #ith the Eurostar e32J. Unfortunately, #e are no# in the situation #here more and more pri!ate rail#ay companies are on the market of the European Union, #hich makes the system !ery confusing. All this is of course done on behalf of the sacrosanct ;free competition=. "egarding the post offices, ( am also optimistic K #e could still create a Euromail if #e #anted Gcreate a mi/ed pri!ate and state*o#ned companyH. (n particular in the euro area, this #ould be today relati!ely easy to implement and #ould ha!e great symbolic !alue% The public ser!ice could e!en include the e/isting small pri!ate pro!iders. )f course #e cannot turn the #heel of history back#ards. .o#e!er, one can often make up for omissions and thus repair past damage. (t is no# time to act and really take care of the European pro1ects. There is no more time to #ait any longer% 8ore courageous and imaginati!e politicians could achie!e #onders and could re!itali+e our dream.

Ralph Gdhelin

P?1?- A good collection of essays and comments on the current political, economic and financial situation of the European Union and some suggestions for solutions is published by the Les Petits matins, in the series EAlternati!es Lconomi2uesE under the title E4omprendre la criseE in @ecember 2J12 under (SS, 211I*CI0I

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