OK, we (Greece) are holding elections for the European Parliament and we are going to send our delegates there. That is considered a given. And, despite the vocal objections from the far left, our participation in the European Union and in the euro-zone has never really been put into question. Moreover, it is without doubt that Greece has benefited immensely from participating in the E.E.C., the European Union and the euro-zone. A great amount of money has been poured into Greece, which led to many public works being completed, the auditing functions of the european institutions have kept the greek public debt within comparatively reasonable proportions and the stability of the euro saved Greece from financial disaster. So, overall the balance has been positive.
Yet, this should not deter us from taking a closer look at the way the European Union functions or the proposals put forward in the Treaty of Lisbon for the Union's reform. There are inherent dangers, which we shall examine, among others that of an emerging european mega-bureaucracy, the undefined powers of the Union as against those of the member-States and so on. Also, the so-called "democratic deficit" should also be taken into account.
In a series of posts we shall examine the balance of powers between the Union and the member-States and, also, amongst the Union's instruments.
Yet, this should not deter us from taking a closer look at the way the European Union functions or the proposals put forward in the Treaty of Lisbon for the Union's reform. There are inherent dangers, which we shall examine, among others that of an emerging european mega-bureaucracy, the undefined powers of the Union as against those of the member-States and so on. Also, the so-called "democratic deficit" should also be taken into account.
In a series of posts we shall examine the balance of powers between the Union and the member-States and, also, amongst the Union's instruments.
2 comments:
Criticizing the bureaucracy of the EU and the thorny problem of the relationship between the EU and its member-States is certainly valuable. I am, however, confused about the thesis of this and the forthcoming posts. Do you point out the challenges that Greece and other countries face in the EU, in order to argue that we have better get out of the EU, or believe that our delegates and all the citizens should work on attacking those problems within the EU?
Sorry for ommitting that. This blog is in favor of EU-membership for Greece while, at the same time, pointing out that there is room for improvement in its institutions and the way they function and, also, some inherent dangers, that should be avoided. The next posts will be a presentation of the history of European Integration. Then, the basic instutional framework of the European Union shall be discussed, and, following that, a set of proposals for a Greek political party's European agenda.
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