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| Right-wing populist politicians destabilizing the EU |
These include, but not limited to, (see picture insert) from top left to right: Donald Trump (USA), Steve Bannon (USA), Marine Le Pen (France), Nigel Farage (Britain), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel), Geert Wilders (the Netherlands), Dr.Jörg Meuthen (Germany), Jarosław Aleksander Kaczyński (Poland), Viktor Mihály Orbán (Hungary),Thierry Henri Philippe Baudet (the Netherlands) Luigi Di Maio (Italy), and Sebastian Kurz (Austria)
It is not a question anymore of how to come to terms with this threat, but how this threat can be eliminated effectively. Tthe majority of Europesn citizens certainly do not want Europe to fall apart into a feuding group of nations, and easy prey for China, Russia and the US.
This issue certainly must, if it is not so already, become the number one objective on the agenda of the EU Commission, the EU Parliament and each individual EU Nation state.
Maybe, in this context it might help to refresh our memory as to the importance of the EU among the world of nations, with some historic background on the EU, and the benefits its citizens enjoy.
The European Union was set up with the aim of ending the frequent and bloody wars between neighbours in Europe, which culminated in the past, and more recently in the First and Second World Wars.
Europeans were determined to prevent such killing and destruction from ever happening again.
After the Second world war, Europe was split into East and West, resulting in a 40-year-long Cold War.
To counter this political problem, West European nations created the Council of Europe in 1949.
It was a first step towards cooperation between them, but six countries even wanted to go further.
As of 1950, the European Coal and Steel Community begins to unite European countries economically and politically in order to secure lasting peace.
The six founding countries were Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The 1950s were dominated by a cold war between east and west. Protests in Hungary against the Communist regime are put down by Soviet tanks in 1956. ’
On the 8 of May 1950 French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman presents a plan for deeper cooperation. This historic event is celebrated every 9th of May as ' Europe Day'
On 18 April 1951 based on the Schuman plan, six countries signed a treaty to run their heavy industries – coal and steel – under a common management. In this way, none can on its own make the weapons of war to turn against the other, as in the past.
In 1957, the Treaty of Rome created the European Economic Community (EEC), or ‘Common Market
One thing led to another, making the EU what it is today, operating as a single market with 28 member countries, one of the major global trading powers.
EU economic policy seeks to sustain growth by investing in transport, energy and research – while minimising the impact of further economic development on the environment.
In terms of the total value of all goods and services produced (GDP), it is bigger than the US economy. EU GDP in 2017 was €15.3 trillion
Over 64 % of EU countries’ total trade is done with other countries in the EU bloc.
On January 1, 2017, the population of the European Union (EU) was estimated at 511.8 million, compared with 510.3 million on 1 January 2016. During the year 2016, as many births as deaths were recorded in the EU (5.1 million), meaning that the natural change of the EU population was neutral.
With just 6.9 % of the world’s total population, EU trade with the rest of the world accounts for some 15.6 % of global imports and exports.
Consequently, together with the United States and China, the EU is one of the 3 largest global players in international trade.
The 28 EU countries had the second largest share of global imports and exports of goods in 2016.
For individual EU citizen some of the benefits include:
1) Eligibility to live and work everywhere within the EU without further permission.
2) Eligibility to take part in local elections of the community where you are a resident. So if you are a Frenchman living in Munich you can vote for in the election of the Munich
city council, which chooses the mayor. You can even run for a seat in that local municipality.
3) Eligibility to vote in the EU parliamentary elections, and you can even run for a seat.
4) Coming from another EU member country one may not be discriminated against, in relation to local citizen in your place of residence. That means: If local residents are allowed to send their children to public school for free, you are also allowed. If they receive social security payments, you may also receive them.
5) Say you want to run a workshop in Germany, you may even have benefits over and above those of local German citizens. If you are a German running a car repair workshop, you either need a master certificate as a trained car mechanic, or you have to employ somebody who has such a certificate. If, however, you are coming in from another EU country, you only have to show proof that you are a car mechanic with a work experience.
6) As an EU citizen you also have diplomatic protection. If you are in a country where your home country does not have its own embassy, every EU embassy of a member state is obliged to help you if you need help.
7) EU citizens also have the right to communicate with every administrative office within the EU in your own language - and you have the right to receive an answer in your own language.
Bottom line - don't let these right-wing Populists mislead you with vague and confusing arguments, Ask for specifics, like how they would set up things differently, and what the benefits would be for you as a citizen.
And if this results in more garbled rhetoric, like we so often hear from those populist politicians, make sure you tell them they are not convincing you.
There is no way EU citizens would benefit from going back to their own currency, border controls, banking regulations, and nationally protected local trade.
Probably the most remarkable success for the EU has been that, apart from its economic prominence, following the ‘Schuman Declaration’, on 9 May 1950, there have been 68 years of peace across the continent, following this declaration.
The European project, known as the EU is the best thing that ever happened for peace, economic stability and prosperity on the European continent. Another positive is that since it is still a project under development, it can only get better.
We must therefore use all means at our disposal to protect and safeguard it from the destabilizing forces which are presently attacking its existence.
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