Let's face it, when you put a sensible woman in charge (Angela Merkel), she takes decisions for the greater good!
1
Union is an oxymoron, it is a "patchwork" of unequal states pretending to work together.
3
As a French Riviera Provençal EU citizen, I am totally not afraid on so called menace to "identities", "culture", "history", "diversity", or whatever you want to call it. I don't see the gap of culture larger or smaller between cities of Marseille and Nice, regions of Provence and Brittany, France and Italy... Diversity isn't about borders : they always fail to shape "unities" right (simply because it's impossible, diversity is made of gradients, not unities), and even more to protect it.
The EU can't be a threat to it simply by definition. It could be a threat, or it could understand that we're over with the "one" rule : "one language, one culture, one nation" that's totally fake and built to strengthen states against each others. I don't feel like a stranger in any part of Europe. I feel like a French Riviera guy in my hometown of Toulon, a Provençal in Marseille, an Occitan in Toulouse, a French in Paris, a French native speaker in Geneva or Bruxelles, an European in Copenhagen, Lisbon or Athena.
Europe has a huge privilege : understanding that it is made of various people, influenced by various others, mixed with various others, who welcomed various others.
The EU can't be a threat to it simply by definition. It could be a threat, or it could understand that we're over with the "one" rule : "one language, one culture, one nation" that's totally fake and built to strengthen states against each others. I don't feel like a stranger in any part of Europe. I feel like a French Riviera guy in my hometown of Toulon, a Provençal in Marseille, an Occitan in Toulouse, a French in Paris, a French native speaker in Geneva or Bruxelles, an European in Copenhagen, Lisbon or Athena.
Europe has a huge privilege : understanding that it is made of various people, influenced by various others, mixed with various others, who welcomed various others.
2
It is refreshing to finally read an E.U.-positive Op-Ed. The entire world is in a mess, and Europe is no exception, but the continent boasts features and advantages far superior to those of the U.S., namely, a larger (520 million) and more educated population, vastly superior infrastructure from roads to IT and, not least, a higher quality of life in almost every category from healthcare and longevity to free education.
Euro-bashing usually emanates from egocentric Americans who have never set foot outside their own country.
Euro-bashing usually emanates from egocentric Americans who have never set foot outside their own country.
I am among the pessimists. I think Merkel is an irresponsible fool. I would not vote her for dog catcher. But I hope the writer is right. After all, I love Europe.
2
Once the Habsburg empire was discarded by some as a "prison of nations". Now the EU is earning that label more and more. Member states that want to take distance from Brussels - like the Greek considering leaving the eurozone - face vague but serious threats. Without going into details it is suggested that their economy might be destroyed.
Outside its borders Brussels' hamfisted support for "pro-European" forces has already twice (Yugoslavia and Ukraine) led to war.
At the moment there is no serious challenge to Germany's supremacy inside the EU. But that is not a sign of success. It has been harmful to Europe's economic development. And it has destroyed the concept of the EU as a union of equals.
The EU was started as a union of equals where economic forces where meant to help create friendship of nations. Nowadays it is a bastion of economic interests led by one country that promotes the friendship of its nations only as a propaganda ploy to protect its interests.
Outside its borders Brussels' hamfisted support for "pro-European" forces has already twice (Yugoslavia and Ukraine) led to war.
At the moment there is no serious challenge to Germany's supremacy inside the EU. But that is not a sign of success. It has been harmful to Europe's economic development. And it has destroyed the concept of the EU as a union of equals.
The EU was started as a union of equals where economic forces where meant to help create friendship of nations. Nowadays it is a bastion of economic interests led by one country that promotes the friendship of its nations only as a propaganda ploy to protect its interests.
On the whole one would have to agree with this. The amount of exaggeration and hysteria about Europe one sees in the US media is ludicrous. They undoubtedly have some serious problems but then who doesn't and they are being worked at. It's often not particularly tidy, which makes it easy for the peanut gallery to nay say, but that's inevitable given the nature of the EU. One also suspects there is an element of schadenfreude in much of the commentary on this side of the Atlantic.
1
@ John - John I file this reply to tell you that it is slightly comforting to read that at least one commenter - not just at this column but many - believes as I (a dual citizen living in Europe) do that the level of hysteria and the appalling lack of knowledge about Europe expressed in the media and here in NYT comments is troubling.
Thanks
Larry
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Thanks
Larry
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
"They undoubtedly have some serious problems but then who doesn't and they are being worked at."
You are totally underestimating the extent of the problems and totally missing the fact that although they are working on them, they are doing it in totally the wrong way.
European integration isn't working.
Their solution?
More integration.
I am told that Nietsche's sister edited Mein Kampf for Hitler and thought he was not fascist enough. She certainly knew how to hurt a man!
I believe there are also communists who believe communism failed because it didn't go far enough.
You are totally underestimating the extent of the problems and totally missing the fact that although they are working on them, they are doing it in totally the wrong way.
European integration isn't working.
Their solution?
More integration.
I am told that Nietsche's sister edited Mein Kampf for Hitler and thought he was not fascist enough. She certainly knew how to hurt a man!
I believe there are also communists who believe communism failed because it didn't go far enough.
1
The biggest problem in Europe is financial and is not addressed at all in this article. As a small business owner for 21+ years in Vienna, the non-recovery after the great recession is a constant drag on our business, and has been for 5+ years (since the "recovery" began).
The financial hegemony of German banks has been leveraged to gain political power for Germany. The German call for austerity and paying down debts is only good for the big financial powers. It is also an impossible dream that in our very integrated EU economy that all countries can pay down debts at the same time and not push us back (deeper?) into recession.
This wrong headed German (EU) financial policy -> political policy is not dissimilar to how Wall Street is now driving much of the US political agenda. To the detriment of both continents and much of the world.
The financial hegemony of German banks has been leveraged to gain political power for Germany. The German call for austerity and paying down debts is only good for the big financial powers. It is also an impossible dream that in our very integrated EU economy that all countries can pay down debts at the same time and not push us back (deeper?) into recession.
This wrong headed German (EU) financial policy -> political policy is not dissimilar to how Wall Street is now driving much of the US political agenda. To the detriment of both continents and much of the world.
14
this is the problem of the "developed world" in it's entirety. A debt crisis produced by prolonged suppression of wages.
Simply personal! I, a dual US and SE citizen, have lived in this European outpost, Sweden, for 20 of my 83 years. I cannot possibly know enough to evaluate the potential for collapse or development of either the USA or Europe.
I can only state a different kind of evaluation, an evaluation perhaps of humane thought and behavior and of infrastructure approaches in the two worlds.
Reading the New York Times and Swedish newspaper coverage of the Middle Eastern - African - Afghanistan refugee situation and daily experience with real-live refugees here at the Red Cross leads to this evaluation.
I am deeply disappointed in what my fellow Americans write in comments and I am very pleased to be part of the contrasting Swedish view of these refugees.
Most experience while in the northeastern United States as concerns infrastructure, transportation, renewable energy, and even electronic banking is deeply disappointing. What makes it still worthwhile being there are two things: The people I talk with and the countryside I love.
In Sweden I experience, for example, superb renewable energy technology, wonderful bus service both locally and via my favorite Bus4You, electronic banking unknown to my American banks, and readily available public centers for nature, running, working out. And as concerns people, I have never experienced anything to match working with refugees who become friends.
Conclusion: More worried about USA than EU
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
I can only state a different kind of evaluation, an evaluation perhaps of humane thought and behavior and of infrastructure approaches in the two worlds.
Reading the New York Times and Swedish newspaper coverage of the Middle Eastern - African - Afghanistan refugee situation and daily experience with real-live refugees here at the Red Cross leads to this evaluation.
I am deeply disappointed in what my fellow Americans write in comments and I am very pleased to be part of the contrasting Swedish view of these refugees.
Most experience while in the northeastern United States as concerns infrastructure, transportation, renewable energy, and even electronic banking is deeply disappointing. What makes it still worthwhile being there are two things: The people I talk with and the countryside I love.
In Sweden I experience, for example, superb renewable energy technology, wonderful bus service both locally and via my favorite Bus4You, electronic banking unknown to my American banks, and readily available public centers for nature, running, working out. And as concerns people, I have never experienced anything to match working with refugees who become friends.
Conclusion: More worried about USA than EU
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
10
I find it tragically hilarious that Merkel is now looking for a "European" solution to a problem that she herself created. Lets remember, this Syrian war has been going on for five years. Why has this refugee crisis escalated this summer? The conditions on the ground in Syria have not worsened since last year. Rather, Merkel has sent signals to these people that they would be welcomed. Not in China, Japan, Russia, US, Saudi Arabia. No, only in Germany.
She has hoisted enormous costs upon her own people. Not just financially (Germany will have to raise taxes this year to fund refugees, and their welfare checks will be required in perpetuity). But also socially, in an older, greying society, she is essentially replacing the population with people from a third world Muslim culture. 1.5 million expected this year, with family members, that will quickly reach 10% of Germany's population. Within in year. The blood boils at Merkel for bringing this upon Europe. She needs to be told where to go, there will be no European solution to a problem of her own making.
She has hoisted enormous costs upon her own people. Not just financially (Germany will have to raise taxes this year to fund refugees, and their welfare checks will be required in perpetuity). But also socially, in an older, greying society, she is essentially replacing the population with people from a third world Muslim culture. 1.5 million expected this year, with family members, that will quickly reach 10% of Germany's population. Within in year. The blood boils at Merkel for bringing this upon Europe. She needs to be told where to go, there will be no European solution to a problem of her own making.
7
No, you are not right. The situation in the refugee camps had worsened terribly, as the UN ran out of money; per person and month the amount provided was cut to less than $15 a month - this is the explanation refugees gave us
Without a doubt, Mr Speck's is taking a highly optimistic view and glossing over many major challenges the EU is facing. However, without any optimism we might as well throw in the towel and give up. The nay-sayers and fear-mongers are certainly not providing any constructive solutions. We are too used to living in a world where conflicts and public policy issues are quickly changing and evolving. But the major issues facing the EU are all very much long-term issues that will inevitably take decades to resolve. Many solutions will manifest not on the macro level on which many skeptics like to argue, but on the local level, when young entrepreneurs start new businesses in Athens, Ukrainian and Russian neighbors share a meal and migrants join sports clubs and local associations in Germany. And we are already seeing the beginnings of these local efforts, and a growing shared recognition that this is how we stand to benefit the most. It's a time for doers, for those who are willing to embrace change. I think we'll be okay.
8
It's not surprising to hear a German tell us that an EU run almost exclusively by and for German interests is making the EU "stronger." The perspective from countries on the periphery forced against their will to do what Germany and its satellites want, is very different.
5
No, not at all. This is the general view in Europe, my French, Italian, Croatian (...) friends share it.
This article is just 'whistling past the graveyard'. As Europe fall deeper into the pit of socialism it will become a loser in all things economic. Think about it, when we see French union workers assaulting their employers and the state does nothing, can't long be but a terrorist state in the making.
1
You obviously have not been in Europe for a while, at least. Only (Anglo)Americans believe Europe is doomed, I just cannot understand why they do.
"As Europe fall deeper into the pit of socialism it will become a loser in all things economic"
As Maggie Thatcher said, "Socialism work great until it runs out of other people's money".
As Maggie Thatcher said, "Socialism work great until it runs out of other people's money".
"...e infine uscimmo a riveder le stelle". "...at last we were able to resurface and behold again the starry sky". That's how Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy celebrates his exit from the Inferno, and that is also how many EU citizens feel today across the Continent nothwitstanding the Greek crisis, the refugees pouring from Syria and Africa, the dieselgate, the Euro-skeptics and what else. People are just beginning to think that if we were able to walk more or less united through this Inferno then we can make it. Yes, we can.
5
Such a rosy Op-ed.
Of course , everyone is entitled to a free opinion, but from the point of view of a European inhabitant, reality smells different.
As unemployment stays low - and very low for young people, emigrating en masse-, as new Brussels regulations are met with incredulity, and the feeling that Europe is indeed much further from local ways of life than would be new laws from Australia, German centrism is more and more unappreciated: as many have said, the Euro is convenient for a DeutchMark economy, an affluence of immigrants is fine for a country demographically diminishing, and while German authorities preach good words on climate change they have enhanced their coal production, consistently hid their failures, done nothing for European defence which is left entirely in the hands - and pockets- of the UK and France.
Just to say, please, don't try to sell us an idealized vision of German rule. Who knows? In the government's economic numbers, what says they didn't use VW's reality hiding software?
Of course , everyone is entitled to a free opinion, but from the point of view of a European inhabitant, reality smells different.
As unemployment stays low - and very low for young people, emigrating en masse-, as new Brussels regulations are met with incredulity, and the feeling that Europe is indeed much further from local ways of life than would be new laws from Australia, German centrism is more and more unappreciated: as many have said, the Euro is convenient for a DeutchMark economy, an affluence of immigrants is fine for a country demographically diminishing, and while German authorities preach good words on climate change they have enhanced their coal production, consistently hid their failures, done nothing for European defence which is left entirely in the hands - and pockets- of the UK and France.
Just to say, please, don't try to sell us an idealized vision of German rule. Who knows? In the government's economic numbers, what says they didn't use VW's reality hiding software?
4
Dear Condo of France: don't forget, that it was Monsieur Mitterand who insisted to introduce the Euro as a way to manage the Germans: do it!
The author makes a convincing case that Angela Merkel has been a wise and effective guide for the EU during its current crises. But doesn't her model depend on the continuation in power of centrist coalitions in France and Germany that have (at least in France) very shaky support from their voters? There is a populist wolf howling at the gates of EU governments- in Hungary, it is already in the house. France may be the next major EU power to be led by a woman, but her name will be Marine Le Pen. I am very afraid.
2
Mr Speck is a "Senior Fellow at the Transatlantic Academy", which received "startup funding from ... the West German government" (the Transatlantic Academy web site). It is not surprising that he thinks "Ms Merkel knows what she is talking about", and that "the response [to current EU crises], largely coordinated by Germany, has been equally impressive".
The affiliation is not immediately clear from the information provided with the article, and I'm not sure that it qualifies as "thought-provoking commentary", certainly of the independent variety.
The affiliation is not immediately clear from the information provided with the article, and I'm not sure that it qualifies as "thought-provoking commentary", certainly of the independent variety.
7
...and I was so happy that finally a positive view of Europe was published by the NYT. Visiting Americans are always very surprised to see how well everything works and that there is not the smallest hint of a collapse of the euro and the EU.
So a German commentator ignores the economic malaise, intolerable unemployment, waning political influence, internal fractures and rigid inflexible system that will fail again when the next crisis hits. No surprise there then, sunny optimism is the way to go.
3
"But with a speed that surprised even Euro-optimists, the union has begun to fashion new rules, often on the fly."
Wrong. The union is not fashioning new rules, Germany is ignoring the rule of law, as is usual with their power trips, and forcing Europe to go along with Merkel's misguided ideas. If you are not in Europe, let me tell you that the majority of people here are not happy.
You mentioned Portugal. Yes, Coelhos won reelection but quite a few people that voted for him also voted for the opposition, hence Coelho's Party losing the majority. Portuguese people don't like to rock the boat, they would rather make more nuanced gestures. This was a big one.
Wrong. The union is not fashioning new rules, Germany is ignoring the rule of law, as is usual with their power trips, and forcing Europe to go along with Merkel's misguided ideas. If you are not in Europe, let me tell you that the majority of people here are not happy.
You mentioned Portugal. Yes, Coelhos won reelection but quite a few people that voted for him also voted for the opposition, hence Coelho's Party losing the majority. Portuguese people don't like to rock the boat, they would rather make more nuanced gestures. This was a big one.
2
I am in Europe, and I am very happy. I Wonder of which rule of law you are speaking???
Reports on German internet-provider GMX today suggest that Merkel's prospects are gloomy and that the mood on the migrants has already swung around.
She has caused massive destruction and should be sacked.
The trouble is that after being sacked she could get a senior position in the "EU" where she could do even more harm.
I don't want her to be in charge of an "EU"-Army!
She has caused massive destruction and should be sacked.
The trouble is that after being sacked she could get a senior position in the "EU" where she could do even more harm.
I don't want her to be in charge of an "EU"-Army!
5
We, the people, think she should be sacked. Unfortunately the elites in the form of the Nobel committee want to give her the Nobel peace prize. Shows you the chasm between the elites and the people, and the arrogance of the elites to think they can impose their own ideology on the people without their consent.
1
Maybe Mr Speck is only able to see what he has been dreaming about. His superficial indications of 'success' only illustrate crises less conspicuous than a few weeks ago. For the problems Speck mentions ( the euro countries being destroyed by it, Ukrain, fugitives) a kind of muddled through status has been arrived at or not even that. Greece is not a millmeter closer to economic health, nor are Portugal , Spain and France. Ukrain is like the volcano waiting to explode and is going to demand such immense subsidies from the EU to get it into its political sphere of influence that the EU brass has no idea how to package that news for its impovering populations. Brexit is a serious possibility, anti EU parties are growing in each and every member State . 'European's rule based system' as Mr Speck says is tranparant for no one and the 'rules' not applied for for instance France are so many no one keeps the score anymore. Democracy has flown out of the European window, as the EU is being governed by a band of mostly panicked insiders who do not even inform the European Parliament about their plans because they have no clue. Speck's optimism is phantastic spin.
4
France has severe problems, but this has nothing to do with the EU. If you would able to solve these problems than your influence in Europe would be bigger.
Dear NY Times editorial board,
I enjoy reading alternate universe op-eds from time to time. The piece by Mr. Beck's is one of those. Of course its its freshness comes from being rooted in reality and there is much to appreciate about the nakedness of its motives and assessment of the current European state-of-affairs.
And yet, one wonders, as I do, if this "efficient and rule-based Europe" is one that is making everybody happy, at least, similarly. While it is true that some form of recovery is seen in the South of Europe and Ireland, we must also remember that the historical record states that crises subside 6-7 years after the inception (cfr., Reinhardt & Rogoff's "This Time is Different".) And, having noted that, there is the issue of Kansas (and California).
The US is currently allowing two very different "local" approaches to handle state budgets, quite divergent in their own inspiration. Setting aside which one is better the question for Europe is: are member states allowed to pursue different paths? Or the "rules" set forth by the German center are never ever to be broken (or, God forbid, questioned)? Did the ECB break some of its rules as a central bank, by cutting off liquidity to the Greek banks at the height of the crisis last June?
In other words. Are the *current* rules, the best, or a new set of checks and balances (on the ECB for example, but not only) would be preferable?
And finally, how do you translate LaosKaro in German?
I enjoy reading alternate universe op-eds from time to time. The piece by Mr. Beck's is one of those. Of course its its freshness comes from being rooted in reality and there is much to appreciate about the nakedness of its motives and assessment of the current European state-of-affairs.
And yet, one wonders, as I do, if this "efficient and rule-based Europe" is one that is making everybody happy, at least, similarly. While it is true that some form of recovery is seen in the South of Europe and Ireland, we must also remember that the historical record states that crises subside 6-7 years after the inception (cfr., Reinhardt & Rogoff's "This Time is Different".) And, having noted that, there is the issue of Kansas (and California).
The US is currently allowing two very different "local" approaches to handle state budgets, quite divergent in their own inspiration. Setting aside which one is better the question for Europe is: are member states allowed to pursue different paths? Or the "rules" set forth by the German center are never ever to be broken (or, God forbid, questioned)? Did the ECB break some of its rules as a central bank, by cutting off liquidity to the Greek banks at the height of the crisis last June?
In other words. Are the *current* rules, the best, or a new set of checks and balances (on the ECB for example, but not only) would be preferable?
And finally, how do you translate LaosKaro in German?
2
The case for euro-optimism is really this: The eurozone, and the European social democracies in general, provide a better standard of living for their citizens than any other nation with the exception of Japan.
10
Only the destruction of the so-called European Union can save Europe. This monster must be killed dead, smashed to pieces, and then burned and the ashes thrown into the deepest part of the Atlantic.
The purpose of the entire project was for France to gain the dominance over all of Europe that its leaders have always felt they deserved, backed up by German money. The only thing that has changed is that successive German leaders have shoved the French into the back with everyone else, dropping the polite pretense of French power over anything.
In the words of a long-ago Frenchman, Voltaire: écrasez l'infâme: crush the infamous thing.
The purpose of the entire project was for France to gain the dominance over all of Europe that its leaders have always felt they deserved, backed up by German money. The only thing that has changed is that successive German leaders have shoved the French into the back with everyone else, dropping the polite pretense of French power over anything.
In the words of a long-ago Frenchman, Voltaire: écrasez l'infâme: crush the infamous thing.
5
You are aware of the only reliable ally the United States have? Well yes, it is the EU!
If the EU successfully resolves the refugee crisis Europe has a grand opportunity to grow as Africa, its neighbor to the South enters a rapid growth phase in its economic development. Africa lacks infrastructure, particularly in higher education. Europe has universities whose overall enrollment is no longer increasing that could absorb increasing numbers of students from Africa transferring knowledge, skills and European values. Thus far many that have studied in the West have taken good jobs and stayed. Now, entrepreneurial development needs to be encouraged that builds opportunity in both Europe and Africa as Europeans join with African partners to achieve development for both. This would help stem the tide of refugees at the source while building increased opportunity for young European entrepreneurs.
8
What to say about Europe and the EU. Its problems are just as much political as economic and no country in the EU is fully prepared to become an "immigrant nation" like the United States (and even here the nativist argument persists). The real problem in Europe remains one that is essentially historical -- Western Europe and Eastern Europe or Nothern Europe and Southern Europe have uneven political, economic, social and cultural development trajectories and the dark shadow of history, though apparently irrelevant after 1946 and then 1968 and then 1989-91 and the Great Recession of 2008 only adds to Europe's problems. Old and New Europe persist or co-exist, but t necessarily well. But it is all part of long historical process that might be described as "moving towards liberation." Neither pessimism nor optimism will do; but the leaders of all the European nations must keep on plugging and the EU itself needs to deal with its divided past, which will not go away because a top-heavy bureaucracy says it should. To my mind, the greatest threat is twofold: the possible withdrawal of Great Britain (UK) from the EU; and the possibility that both the United States and China forget how essential the EU is and remains in a multi-polar twenty-first century world.
7
I have lived in Europe for 4 years now, and I agree with this article. I laugh when I hear Americans say that it's only a matter of time before it all falls apart. When I pick up the newspaper and read that the EU is shutting down it's government, or the equivalent of it, because of a female health provider's doctored videos, then I'll start to panic.
23
This article is the paragon of cognitive dissonance. No sane person could possibly type "As is often the case these days, Ms. Merkel knows what she’s talking about" after she had to renege on her 'open doors, open windows' immigration policy after only a week. She's now struggling to force the first wave of migrants down the throats of unwilling Eastern European states whose populations are increasingly embracing far-right political parties--and getting her way because of the opaque political process in Brussels. 'Euroskepticism' is natural to anyone without their head stuck in the sand.
12
This article is a good reminder of the contrast between the fearful xenophobes with their dark, paranoid, predictions and the fair minded and optimistic who see tolerance and dignity for all as an opportunity for Europe to escape its homogeneous states and the centuries of conflict they have brought.
Believers in the EU will reap the benefits of diversity and solidarity and will grow toward being a great economic and political power, while the recalcitrant will just get smaller and more afraid.
Believers in the EU will reap the benefits of diversity and solidarity and will grow toward being a great economic and political power, while the recalcitrant will just get smaller and more afraid.
3
No mention of the unemployment rate in the "recovering" countries or the increasing influence of right wing nationalist parties. The tint in the glass through which Mr Speck is viewing the scene in Euro has a rose hue.
9
No mention, either, in the US press that cheers the low official rate of US employment but ignores the fact that the percentage of employed is lower than at any time in decades, that the real unemployment rate in the US is easily twice as much and at European levels.
3
The columnist betrays her sympathies when she writes "... the German chancellor as the power broker at the center."
How true. I suppose the rest of Europe should be grateful that this time it was banks, not tanks that sorted things out: -- shutting down a country's ATMs- what a humane way to assert power.
How true. I suppose the rest of Europe should be grateful that this time it was banks, not tanks that sorted things out: -- shutting down a country's ATMs- what a humane way to assert power.
4
The European Union was founded in 1957 to end military conflicts between neighbors, culminating in the disastrous consequences of World War II, and to concentrate on building a “common market” for trade. Prevention of wars In Europe has been accomplished thanks, in large part, to Germany’s commitment to abstain from military adventurism. But in the economic realm EU’s record so far has been mixed. The rewards from cooperation among member states have been uneven, with Germany by far the principal beneficiary and states in the southern periphery largely losing ground. The Greek crisis illustrates this failure in EU performance. To be sure, corruption, tax evasion, and reckless borrowing in Greece have been the main reasons leading to this crisis. But the euro zones’ prescriptions for ending this crisis have focused on austerity, failing totally in addressing the need for growing the economy of Greece particularly with regard to increasing its potential for participating in world trade. Nevertheless, EU’s mission has been valid from its very conception. It is a commitment to exploit the aggregate economic power of Europe in the global market while preserving the ethnic and cultural diversity among its member states. This gigantic goal cannot be achieved overnight. We must be patient, as this article implicitly suggests.
8
Everything is fine as long as Germany calls the shots. Nobody else counts. Watch the illusion fade as the EU sends the refugees packing.
2
I wish I could share Speck's optimism. Unfortunately, he over-estimates the European public's willingness in the longer term to accept refugees - just look at the neo-fascist parties gaining strength all over.
Furthermore, he glosses over the structural weakness of the EU: it is a confederation without a strong executive who speaks for everyone. When one nation state is more equal than the others, it breeds resentment in the weaker states, i.e. the ones that Germany is pulling along. With 28 member states in the EU, it is unwieldy at best.
That being said, Americans fail to understand the magnitude of the European achievement. More than ever, we see ourselves more as Europeans than as competing nation states, we increasingly see our problems as challenges we must solve together. There is an intricate super-culture of European youth that is rendering warfare on most of the Continent virtually unthinkable - beyond regular language exchanges from junior high, a typical vacation is to take a month and study a language in a neighboring country. This changes mentalities and opens minds.
When compared to the stultifyingly stupid and parochial political debates in the US, I will take Europe.
Furthermore, he glosses over the structural weakness of the EU: it is a confederation without a strong executive who speaks for everyone. When one nation state is more equal than the others, it breeds resentment in the weaker states, i.e. the ones that Germany is pulling along. With 28 member states in the EU, it is unwieldy at best.
That being said, Americans fail to understand the magnitude of the European achievement. More than ever, we see ourselves more as Europeans than as competing nation states, we increasingly see our problems as challenges we must solve together. There is an intricate super-culture of European youth that is rendering warfare on most of the Continent virtually unthinkable - beyond regular language exchanges from junior high, a typical vacation is to take a month and study a language in a neighboring country. This changes mentalities and opens minds.
When compared to the stultifyingly stupid and parochial political debates in the US, I will take Europe.
4
"And while in the past the European Union was built and administered by bureaucrats, largely hidden from the public, the new union is deeply political. The time of backdoor deals in Brussels is over."
Political, and yet with no back-room deals? I've never heard such nonsense.
Political, and yet with no back-room deals? I've never heard such nonsense.
2
The arrogance and condescension of the EU's leaders towards political parties of countries that do not share their views shows the innate flaws of the Union.
That countries should be forced by the EU to take M.E. migrants is offensive, although sadly typical of the fervor and sanctimoniousness of progressives these days.
Like the Pacific Rim Trade Pact, we are being force fed a philosophy of pan-culturalism, that whitewashes or sterilizes meaningful distinctions, and will ultimately benefit the very rich and the very poor.
That countries should be forced by the EU to take M.E. migrants is offensive, although sadly typical of the fervor and sanctimoniousness of progressives these days.
Like the Pacific Rim Trade Pact, we are being force fed a philosophy of pan-culturalism, that whitewashes or sterilizes meaningful distinctions, and will ultimately benefit the very rich and the very poor.
4
Is this the same Chancellor Merkel who in 2010 said that multiculturalism in Germany has “utterly failed” and that the onus should be on immigrants to do more to integrate into German society?
Is this the same anti-democratic EU that blatantly ignored a referendum in Greece in which Greek citizens rejected additional austerity measures?
Or perhaps this is the same EU that has over 100,000 employees to run its bloated Brussels bureaucracy, penpushers who are not democratically elected but nevertheless make crucial decisions about the lives of EU citizens (e.g. food and energy prices)?
Militarily the EU has been impotent on the Ukraine issue (the war continues). Economically the EU is eviscerating the social programs that have come to define post-war Europe and the very foundations of European democracies as austerity ravages Athens and Dublin, Bucharest and Madrid, and beyond.
With anemic growth, rising socio-economic inequality, bifurcation of wealthy (and largely northern) European countries and their poorer cousins in the south and east, shambolic monetary policy, increased nationalism, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia (read: bigotry and racism) even in places like Denmark and Germany, the EU as an institution may indeed be terminally ill.
Dr. Speck’s view of the EU is that of a privileged German, which is precisely the problem. For the countless Europeans on the margins of the EU, the view of what goes on in Brussels (and Berlin) is vastly different.
Is this the same anti-democratic EU that blatantly ignored a referendum in Greece in which Greek citizens rejected additional austerity measures?
Or perhaps this is the same EU that has over 100,000 employees to run its bloated Brussels bureaucracy, penpushers who are not democratically elected but nevertheless make crucial decisions about the lives of EU citizens (e.g. food and energy prices)?
Militarily the EU has been impotent on the Ukraine issue (the war continues). Economically the EU is eviscerating the social programs that have come to define post-war Europe and the very foundations of European democracies as austerity ravages Athens and Dublin, Bucharest and Madrid, and beyond.
With anemic growth, rising socio-economic inequality, bifurcation of wealthy (and largely northern) European countries and their poorer cousins in the south and east, shambolic monetary policy, increased nationalism, Antisemitism, and Islamophobia (read: bigotry and racism) even in places like Denmark and Germany, the EU as an institution may indeed be terminally ill.
Dr. Speck’s view of the EU is that of a privileged German, which is precisely the problem. For the countless Europeans on the margins of the EU, the view of what goes on in Brussels (and Berlin) is vastly different.
5
If only the article's optimism is true. Unfortunately, Europe has been losing its sense of collective identity for the past decade. As a result, when a major problem such as illegal immigration, terrorism, or Russian aggression occurs, there is neither the creativity nor the political will to deal with it.
Europe, insulated from reality by an American defense shield, has for too long looked inward. While busily developing its social safety nets, it has lazily and complacently drifted into a collective amnesia as to why, after W. W. II, it began building transnational institutions in the first place.
One hoped that the wars in the Balkans would have awakened a post-W. W. II generation of Europeans to its collective weakness and need for serious institutional reform. Unfortunately such did not occur. The Russian takeover of the Crimea and its aggression in the Ukraine highlighted Europe's weakness, but simultaneously presented it with an opportunity to reset its institutional switches. So far, there is little evidence of that occurring, instead right-wing nationalism is providing a vision to fill the vacuum left by the advocates of greater European integration.
As to mass illegal immigration, the best thing Europe can do for humanity is not to simply admit everyone but, rather, to maintain itself as a place people want to escape to. Asians do not look to flee to China. Arabs do not flee to Saudi Arabia. Africans do not flee to Nigeria. Such is not coincidental.
Europe, insulated from reality by an American defense shield, has for too long looked inward. While busily developing its social safety nets, it has lazily and complacently drifted into a collective amnesia as to why, after W. W. II, it began building transnational institutions in the first place.
One hoped that the wars in the Balkans would have awakened a post-W. W. II generation of Europeans to its collective weakness and need for serious institutional reform. Unfortunately such did not occur. The Russian takeover of the Crimea and its aggression in the Ukraine highlighted Europe's weakness, but simultaneously presented it with an opportunity to reset its institutional switches. So far, there is little evidence of that occurring, instead right-wing nationalism is providing a vision to fill the vacuum left by the advocates of greater European integration.
As to mass illegal immigration, the best thing Europe can do for humanity is not to simply admit everyone but, rather, to maintain itself as a place people want to escape to. Asians do not look to flee to China. Arabs do not flee to Saudi Arabia. Africans do not flee to Nigeria. Such is not coincidental.
2
When I read the title of this op ed I literally laughed out loud. Delusional. Do truly wish it were true though.
6
"Europe is declining, disintegrating, collapsing..." true
some facts:
Tim B is a trusted commenter Seattle 3 hours ago
I watched a documentary about Muslims who are already established in the UK, how they feel about the UK generally and their outlook on life. The interview is done in a BBC like fashion, the interviewer asking simple questions in a courteous, thoughtful, non confrontational way.
What surprised him and I imagine many viewers is that younger aged Muslims are becoming radicalized and much less receptive to their host nation than their own parents or grandparents generation are, those who came to Britain decades ago. Enclaves are forming in many European cities where Muslims insist Sharia law be followed, that they are exempt from the laws and culture of their host countries. Of course, some Muslims show a measure of gratitude to the advantages of living in a secular, stable society.
Police Warn of No-Go Zones in Germany
“When I say that steps must be taken to ensure immigrants comply with rules and regulations, I’m immediately branded as a far right extremist. But order is exactly what is needed.” — Volker Mosblech, Duisburg City Councilman.
http://napoleonlive.info/did-you-know/decline-of-european-civilization-2/
some facts:
Tim B is a trusted commenter Seattle 3 hours ago
I watched a documentary about Muslims who are already established in the UK, how they feel about the UK generally and their outlook on life. The interview is done in a BBC like fashion, the interviewer asking simple questions in a courteous, thoughtful, non confrontational way.
What surprised him and I imagine many viewers is that younger aged Muslims are becoming radicalized and much less receptive to their host nation than their own parents or grandparents generation are, those who came to Britain decades ago. Enclaves are forming in many European cities where Muslims insist Sharia law be followed, that they are exempt from the laws and culture of their host countries. Of course, some Muslims show a measure of gratitude to the advantages of living in a secular, stable society.
Police Warn of No-Go Zones in Germany
“When I say that steps must be taken to ensure immigrants comply with rules and regulations, I’m immediately branded as a far right extremist. But order is exactly what is needed.” — Volker Mosblech, Duisburg City Councilman.
http://napoleonlive.info/did-you-know/decline-of-european-civilization-2/
2
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel should rightly be credited to have time and again brought back the EU from brink proving each time the naysayers and the critics of the EU project wrong, be it the Ukraine crisis, Greek bailout issue, or the current refugee problem threatening Europe on its face. However distrustful the Euro sceptics might be of Ms. Angela about her strong mediating role in defusing recent crises or even smell Europe dominating impulse in her actions, the way she has boldly redefined the EU identity from being a buresucratically defined rigid rule based static entity to a deal based transnational European project under the command of its political leaders is not only a proof in itself of the resilience of the EU project but also a fitting reply to the doomsayers for the EU.
9
Just because a crisis (Greece) has been replaced by another one (the refugees) does not mean that the first crisis has been solved. Fortunately we lack the polarization of the US, but underlying problems remain huge. Greece quickly becomes dependent on handouts, unemployment in southern Europe remains gigantic. Just because the headlines change does not mean that the problems have been solved: on the contrary, hardly anything seems to be solved nowadays. I fear the we end in a QE driven economy, just as the US has. China also seems quite unstable at present. Lagarde is right, but nobody seems to have listened to her. Global reforms are needed, quickly.
7
Europe has been QE-driven for some time now. It is Europe that is unstable first economically and now socially, not the U.S. Good luck 20 years down the road when you find yourselves embracing a Stockholm Syndrome of Shariah law.
Mr. Speck seems greatly impressed by Angela Merkel's rush to welcome migrants to Germany as if it were some grand decision of the European Union. But he overlooks the problems of overpopulation and global warming that the refugee problems are symptoms of, as well as the fact that his Euro-Optimism seems hugely misplaced when viewed from the larger picture of world disaster in which it is a small eddy in a global typhoon. Optimism as the ship takes on water and sinks is a delusion not a solution.
8
A strong country, Britain, wants to leave and lots of econmically weak countries want to enter. That tells you a lot.
With immigration it is similar. The really well educated people from Syria try to emigrate to the U.S. Those without any education whatsoever are coming to Germany.
Merkel now for years has been unable to solve the crisis. The can has been kicked down the road again and again (see Greece) without solution. Now, with the immigration crisis in Germany, ever higher numbers are being reported. And all you hear from her - "we can do it". Of course, she never says how that is supposed to happen.
The whole mess becomes clear now. 80% of immigrants have no education at all. Under best case scenarios, they will be unemployed for 5 years on the governments dime before there is even a chance for a job. If by then they can be integrated at all is anybody's guess. Merkel - "we can do it". Of course, the 1.5 million are only the tip of the iceberg. Mostly being male, they want to get their families - potentially another 5 million. Of those, even more than 80% will be unemployable.
Overall, a total mess with no solution and all you ever hear from Merkel is "we can do it"
Merkel should send a signal to stop this. The best signal would be for her to step down.
With immigration it is similar. The really well educated people from Syria try to emigrate to the U.S. Those without any education whatsoever are coming to Germany.
Merkel now for years has been unable to solve the crisis. The can has been kicked down the road again and again (see Greece) without solution. Now, with the immigration crisis in Germany, ever higher numbers are being reported. And all you hear from her - "we can do it". Of course, she never says how that is supposed to happen.
The whole mess becomes clear now. 80% of immigrants have no education at all. Under best case scenarios, they will be unemployed for 5 years on the governments dime before there is even a chance for a job. If by then they can be integrated at all is anybody's guess. Merkel - "we can do it". Of course, the 1.5 million are only the tip of the iceberg. Mostly being male, they want to get their families - potentially another 5 million. Of those, even more than 80% will be unemployable.
Overall, a total mess with no solution and all you ever hear from Merkel is "we can do it"
Merkel should send a signal to stop this. The best signal would be for her to step down.
17
Agree. The EUs handling of this "refugee crisis" has been abysmal. It left Italy alone to handle illegal migration via the Libyan route for years and did nothing about it. When these people realized how ineffectual and pathetic the EU/Shengen border controls were, they just ran over them. So the EU lets illegal immigrants decide it's policy. Why didn't Germany (or Austria, or Sweden) just put out the message two months ago..."Don't pay that smuggler. Don't get on that boat. We will not be taking any more Asylum applications this year. If you are from the Balkans, forget it. If you are Pakistani, forget it. If you are a deserter from the Iraqi Army, forget it. If you throw away your passport and claim undocumented status, forget it. Don't get on the road. We are not going to pay for a 3-month vacation here in Germany. We owe you nothing." Why diidn't the EU (or Germany, or...) make this clear. Denmark tried to do this and was criticized for it. The EU's public relations/communications on this has been truly abysmal. And exacerbated the problem tenfold. Pathetic.
I would describe the Union as sausage-making at best. Make that German sausages for the most part.
Conveniently omitted from this opinion is the rift among the various states during the refugee crisis. Even a vote in Brussels could not force members to act with cohesion.
The crisis in Greece was and is more than financial. The Greeks (unreasonably) see the crisis as a German attack.
The member states could not uniformly agree on any of the recent military coalition entered into by some of the members (starting Gulf II).
If there is optimism, it is a leap of faith that despite linguistic, cultural, taxation, foreign policy, labor policy, ....gaps, that somehow they will build a house of compromises that will last.
Conveniently omitted from this opinion is the rift among the various states during the refugee crisis. Even a vote in Brussels could not force members to act with cohesion.
The crisis in Greece was and is more than financial. The Greeks (unreasonably) see the crisis as a German attack.
The member states could not uniformly agree on any of the recent military coalition entered into by some of the members (starting Gulf II).
If there is optimism, it is a leap of faith that despite linguistic, cultural, taxation, foreign policy, labor policy, ....gaps, that somehow they will build a house of compromises that will last.
5
Congratulations on your pen name: it is the best reflection of the "new" European (and "global") citizen!!!
1
Cue the laugh track.
Of course Ms. Merkel is an optimist. If the European Union isn't working for most of Europe, it is certainly working for Germany. Germany gets to run bloated trade surpluses by not having to deal with the problem of a rising Mark. It gets to be a major power without contributing much of anything to the common defense. The southern and eastern tiers of Europe are great places both to dump excess German industrial production as well as convenient places to blame when things go wrong. Germany can sit back and preach austerity, with all of the suffering comfortably elsewhere. Other European nations which wouldn't dream, post WWII, of allowing Germany to dominate them, until very recently have happily lived under remote German dominance, administered through the EU.
Of course Ms. Merkel is an optimist. If the European Union isn't working for most of Europe, it is certainly working for Germany. Germany gets to run bloated trade surpluses by not having to deal with the problem of a rising Mark. It gets to be a major power without contributing much of anything to the common defense. The southern and eastern tiers of Europe are great places both to dump excess German industrial production as well as convenient places to blame when things go wrong. Germany can sit back and preach austerity, with all of the suffering comfortably elsewhere. Other European nations which wouldn't dream, post WWII, of allowing Germany to dominate them, until very recently have happily lived under remote German dominance, administered through the EU.
15
What worries me the most is the typical delayed response from the common people to economic difficulties. Yes, things are now OK economically in Germany and Austria and sort-of OK in France, but a substantial fraction of the young adults in the EU are either unemployed or underemployed. What happens in, say, Spain or Portugal or Greece when those now-young unemployed people find out that they are unlikely ever to get the well-paid and interesting jobs that they grew up to expect and that their younger peers will be getting right out of school? Right now there is the opiate of hope, but what happens when hope dies?
Angry hordes of bitter and disillusioned citizens don't mix well with democracy.
After the Great Depression in the early 1930s, green shoots of new prosperity began to show here and there and people became complacent. WW II didn't start until 1939.
Angry hordes of bitter and disillusioned citizens don't mix well with democracy.
After the Great Depression in the early 1930s, green shoots of new prosperity began to show here and there and people became complacent. WW II didn't start until 1939.
9
The EU is an outright disaster for Europe. Not only is it destroying national cultures and European diversity, but is now subjugating entire nations under debt bondage. Greece is essentially paying tribute to wealthy EU banks, no longer do nations need to conquer a country, debt is a far more efficient system of dominion. Spain, Portugal, and Italy are next up on the list of conquest for the wealthy elites running the Banks.
The EU's failed policies instigated the immigration crisis from the Middle East, which is the most serious threat to Europe since the Soviet Union. The lack of effective border controls guarding the perimeter of EU nations and incentivizing immigrants to come by telling them that all are welcomed has opened the floodgates for the invasion of Europe from the third-world. All Western nations now face the increasing Islamization and erasure of their cultural and ethnic identity, except for the few Eastern nations like Hungary that refuse to submit to EU tyranny. The EU has caused these problems and needs to be destroyed for the survival of Europe. If not, European nations will cease to exist in their present form.
The EU's failed policies instigated the immigration crisis from the Middle East, which is the most serious threat to Europe since the Soviet Union. The lack of effective border controls guarding the perimeter of EU nations and incentivizing immigrants to come by telling them that all are welcomed has opened the floodgates for the invasion of Europe from the third-world. All Western nations now face the increasing Islamization and erasure of their cultural and ethnic identity, except for the few Eastern nations like Hungary that refuse to submit to EU tyranny. The EU has caused these problems and needs to be destroyed for the survival of Europe. If not, European nations will cease to exist in their present form.
13
As a resident of Germany, I vigorously dispute your assertions. I have traveled all over the EU this summer, and the countries are all maintaining their distinct identities. Greece made their own bed by lying about their financial situation when they joined the EU and then borrowing heavily. No one forced them to do either. And the refugees are people whose homes and lives have been destroyed by war, something Germans can relate to. We care about and want to help them...not to mention that they are a much needed source of workers, as we do not have enough. From everything I have seen, they are making a strong effort to fit into Germany and are not expecting us to change our identities for them.
2
This article is sadly misleading, though I agree with the general premise that Europe has reasons to be optimistic.
Ms. Merkel's invitation of 'come one, come all' from war torn parts of the world has resulted in a huge migration, now numbering in the hundreds of thousands for one year. Greece was already struggling with austerity measures imposed by Germany, which has led it to near depression. Yet Ms. Merkel has opened the floodgates to so many newcomers that Greece, Italy and Hungary have been overwhelmed. There was no real consensus from European countries prior to Merkel's announcement, only slightly veiled threats to countries that funds may not be as forthcoming from the EU if her wishes were not heeded.
Even if all migrants are brought in somewhat peacefully at this time, what of existing enclaves in France and Germany itself. I saw a video recently which showed a German school, one of many now, which has a largely Muslim enrollment. A small gang of these students were boasting that remaining German students were 'weak' and how they enjoyed kicking and harassing them. Teachers have quit, and many are fearful of being alone in their own classrooms. These are not imaginary scenarios but ones which are playing out in areas where many Muslim people have settled, people who obey Sharia law and have no use for the democratic system of justice, nor their host countries values.
It is a massive experiment, so far it does not look good.
Ms. Merkel's invitation of 'come one, come all' from war torn parts of the world has resulted in a huge migration, now numbering in the hundreds of thousands for one year. Greece was already struggling with austerity measures imposed by Germany, which has led it to near depression. Yet Ms. Merkel has opened the floodgates to so many newcomers that Greece, Italy and Hungary have been overwhelmed. There was no real consensus from European countries prior to Merkel's announcement, only slightly veiled threats to countries that funds may not be as forthcoming from the EU if her wishes were not heeded.
Even if all migrants are brought in somewhat peacefully at this time, what of existing enclaves in France and Germany itself. I saw a video recently which showed a German school, one of many now, which has a largely Muslim enrollment. A small gang of these students were boasting that remaining German students were 'weak' and how they enjoyed kicking and harassing them. Teachers have quit, and many are fearful of being alone in their own classrooms. These are not imaginary scenarios but ones which are playing out in areas where many Muslim people have settled, people who obey Sharia law and have no use for the democratic system of justice, nor their host countries values.
It is a massive experiment, so far it does not look good.
21
"who obey Sharia law and have no use for the democratic system of justice,"
It is strange to hear this nonsense from an American. Our experiences with islam are probably not so different from what you have in the United States. Google for cases of shariah law in the German press, and you'll come up almost empty. The largest ethnic group from another country who are living in Germany? The Turks. They are mostly well integrated, thank you. If the new arrivals are similar, I am not worried.
It is strange to hear this nonsense from an American. Our experiences with islam are probably not so different from what you have in the United States. Google for cases of shariah law in the German press, and you'll come up almost empty. The largest ethnic group from another country who are living in Germany? The Turks. They are mostly well integrated, thank you. If the new arrivals are similar, I am not worried.
3
Europe has surpassed several crisis Today the European Union this undergoing a new revolution peaceful democratic policy in order to European political solutions Today Europe is the European Monetary Union States
2
"Perhaps no challenge better illustrates the union’s strengths than the waves of refugees arriving in Europe. Ms. Merkel has correctly framed it as a challenge for Europe as a whole, rather than for individual countries. And Europe has acted accordingly, taking a contentious but successful vote to spread the burden of accepting the refugees."
She has acted with amazing arrogance, making sure that the borders remain open against the wishes of her "Sister Party" the CSU and members of her own party. Bavaria has been asking for the borders to be closed, but she has ignored them. The CSU should now leave the government and bring about an early election. Bavaria should consider leaving the Federal Republic. It is only part of Germany because Bismark bribed Ludwig II. Neuschwanstein was his bribe.
There has been a massive amount of trouble with the "refugees". At one camp 400 people engaged in a fight and attacked the police when they intervened. There was a fight involving 200 people at another camp. Her interior minister de Maziere has been taken off the case, presumably because he told the truth about what was going on. The number of refugees for this year has been repeatedly revised upwards despite the trouble. She is refusing to build the much needed fences. There are ever more attacks on refugee hostels etc
"The new European Union is overwhelmingly intergovernmental, built around cooperation among nation states."
It is built on arrogance, megalomania and lies
She has acted with amazing arrogance, making sure that the borders remain open against the wishes of her "Sister Party" the CSU and members of her own party. Bavaria has been asking for the borders to be closed, but she has ignored them. The CSU should now leave the government and bring about an early election. Bavaria should consider leaving the Federal Republic. It is only part of Germany because Bismark bribed Ludwig II. Neuschwanstein was his bribe.
There has been a massive amount of trouble with the "refugees". At one camp 400 people engaged in a fight and attacked the police when they intervened. There was a fight involving 200 people at another camp. Her interior minister de Maziere has been taken off the case, presumably because he told the truth about what was going on. The number of refugees for this year has been repeatedly revised upwards despite the trouble. She is refusing to build the much needed fences. There are ever more attacks on refugee hostels etc
"The new European Union is overwhelmingly intergovernmental, built around cooperation among nation states."
It is built on arrogance, megalomania and lies
31
"At one camp 400 people engaged in a fight and attacked the police when they intervened."
The incident was widely reported in UK tabloids, I know. It erupted when an 18 year-old broke ranks in a queue for meals and was sharply criticized for it by an 80 year-old from Pakistan. If this is a reason for you to leave the EU, so be it.
Source: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/schlaegerei-unter-f...
The incident was widely reported in UK tabloids, I know. It erupted when an 18 year-old broke ranks in a queue for meals and was sharply criticized for it by an 80 year-old from Pakistan. If this is a reason for you to leave the EU, so be it.
Source: http://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/fluechtlingskrise/schlaegerei-unter-f...
3
Funny how people assume that Frau Merkel is calling the shots. There are 27 other governments, all democratically elected (!) involved in the proces. This fact does not fit the state of mind of many in te Anglo-Saxon world, so it tends to be overlooked. If the EU would have presidential elections like the US, I would not be surprised if Merkel won this election.
3
Good contribution, well done. There are plenty of challenges ahead for the EU and I rather like a dose of Euro-Optimism than Euro-Pessimism.
13
"Across the Continent, optimism about the future of the European project is in short supply"
Plenty of us are optimistic about it. We believe that the "EU" is hitting the fan and that soon many of us, especially us Brits, will be free of The Monster.
"As is often the case these days, Ms. Merkel knows what she’s talking about "
She is worse than useless and needs to be sacked along with her fellow travellers e.g. Hollande, Junker, Gabriel, Verhofstadt, Draghi, the judges at the "ECJ" etc.
"But the response, largely coordinated by Germany, has been equally impressive."
It might impress you, but I doubt if it impresses the Greeks who cannot get an ambulance because the ambulances have no fuel and cannot get treated in hospital because the hospital cannot afford medicines or the Germans whose appartments are being broken into by gangs from other "EU"-countries etc.
"Ms. Merkel has set up an informal system of governance that works fairly well, inside and outside Germany:"
She is ignoring the concerns of her coalition partners, the CSU, members of her own party, the heads of government e.g. Orban and Cameron and those of the German people. Germany is in a crisis. I know, I live there/here and read the German press.
"And yet it is astonishingly efficient." Quite simply not true. It is a disaster.
"And yet, five years later, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain are recovering," German economist Sinn stated that it only applied to Ireland and the rest was an illusion
Plenty of us are optimistic about it. We believe that the "EU" is hitting the fan and that soon many of us, especially us Brits, will be free of The Monster.
"As is often the case these days, Ms. Merkel knows what she’s talking about "
She is worse than useless and needs to be sacked along with her fellow travellers e.g. Hollande, Junker, Gabriel, Verhofstadt, Draghi, the judges at the "ECJ" etc.
"But the response, largely coordinated by Germany, has been equally impressive."
It might impress you, but I doubt if it impresses the Greeks who cannot get an ambulance because the ambulances have no fuel and cannot get treated in hospital because the hospital cannot afford medicines or the Germans whose appartments are being broken into by gangs from other "EU"-countries etc.
"Ms. Merkel has set up an informal system of governance that works fairly well, inside and outside Germany:"
She is ignoring the concerns of her coalition partners, the CSU, members of her own party, the heads of government e.g. Orban and Cameron and those of the German people. Germany is in a crisis. I know, I live there/here and read the German press.
"And yet it is astonishingly efficient." Quite simply not true. It is a disaster.
"And yet, five years later, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain are recovering," German economist Sinn stated that it only applied to Ireland and the rest was an illusion
24
Is Europe now the European Union?
2
Thanks for a timely and lucid reminder that the "European Project" is still very much alive and constantly - and mostly successfully - re-inventing itself. It is remarkable that further progress in shared sovereignty and European integration (for example the development of new forms of regulation and oversight of fiscal policy and banking) is increasingly not just the product of unelected "eurocrats" but rather the result of intergovernmental negotiations - often brokered by Germany but in the end still the result of hard-fought political compromises among all the relevant member-states. As long as Germany - along with a majority of member states of the EU - continue to identify and promote the unity of national and European interests the system will continue to function and Europe will continue to successfully manage the multiple crises it faces, both internal and external. Problems arise when some member-states have difficulty identifying or recognizing that unity of interests. The issue then is to what extent the majority may impose its will on the minority or, alternatively, to tolerate divergences to the commonly agreed policy or practice. In the near-term, this will be key to determining the fate of the UK's continued participation in the EU. In the mid- to long-term, this may also be key to determining the future role of Germany in the EU - "reluctant hegemon" or "honest broker".
7
"The three crises threatening the European Union’s rules-based system are indeed serious: Greece, the Ukraine conflict and the refugee crisis.
But the response, largely coordinated by Germany, has been equally impressive. Ms. Merkel has set up an informal system of governance...."
The rest of Europe is starting to see the German "informal system" as a little too close the the system they set up in 1939: do as we say or else. The vainglorious and foolhardy austerity "solution" they have imposed against the economic crisis is steadily worsening economic conditions and causing unnecessary suffering to huge numbers of people all through Europe. They won't listen to reason from economists and ignore the needs of all but themselves.
In response, the author substitutes rosy myth for reality: see for instance Paul Krugmans blog today: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/learning-nothing-in-europe/
The real question is how long the rest of Europe can hang on in the EU.
But the response, largely coordinated by Germany, has been equally impressive. Ms. Merkel has set up an informal system of governance...."
The rest of Europe is starting to see the German "informal system" as a little too close the the system they set up in 1939: do as we say or else. The vainglorious and foolhardy austerity "solution" they have imposed against the economic crisis is steadily worsening economic conditions and causing unnecessary suffering to huge numbers of people all through Europe. They won't listen to reason from economists and ignore the needs of all but themselves.
In response, the author substitutes rosy myth for reality: see for instance Paul Krugmans blog today: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/learning-nothing-in-europe/
The real question is how long the rest of Europe can hang on in the EU.
22
No realpolitik leader would listen to Krugman up in his ivory tower. His credo that public debt is good just boggles my mind.
1
This very disturbing and mostly delusional op-ed makes one salient point : we should be happy that the German Chancellor has by default become the unelected leader of the EU. Do the German elite never learn? We fellow Europeans have accepted the EU structure but absolutely will not be subject to one country's hegemony, especially one that through its mercantilist economic policies is trying to impose ordoliberalism on and downward mobility on us. As a French citizen, I would implore you to try to distinguish cooperation from submission. Not knowing the difference will mean the EU will not be exist in 10 years. Not to speak of other possible consequences.
39
We would gladly put Mr Hollande in charge of europe, including his electorate footing the bill for policies that go wrong.
First of all i would like to know how the french would solve the refugee crisis. I heard no proposition of them. I hear lot about the moral obligations europe has, but france is dodging any hard policies.
First of all i would like to know how the french would solve the refugee crisis. I heard no proposition of them. I hear lot about the moral obligations europe has, but france is dodging any hard policies.
7
There is much wrong with the article, e.g. the papering over the Euro crisis. What we need is a fiscal union and massive investments to inclease employment in the EU periphery. This article is too focused on Berlin. Europe were in better shape if all EU countries showed their muscles and urged Brussels and EU partners to get important projects done, e.g. the financial transaction tax.
2
We, in europe and the US, have become an estates-based society, where the capital rules the politics, and superstition frightens the ordinary citizen.
Populists like Donald Trump or Marie Le Pen offer scape-goats instead of visions. People buy it because they are to scared to change.
We are heading for a 3th reich at european scale, all ingredients are there, an insecured and unratteled society, spineless politicians that just answer the big money. And now we finally get the patsies flowing in from the middle east, we can blame for everything.
There is no case for euro-optimism.
Populists like Donald Trump or Marie Le Pen offer scape-goats instead of visions. People buy it because they are to scared to change.
We are heading for a 3th reich at european scale, all ingredients are there, an insecured and unratteled society, spineless politicians that just answer the big money. And now we finally get the patsies flowing in from the middle east, we can blame for everything.
There is no case for euro-optimism.
12
As an American in Germany, I truly hope that the EU succeeds. The US needs some discipline on its rampant tech & financial sectors, while the very expansionist Russians & Chinese require more resistance. Imagine France, standing by itself, having 30,000 immigrants a day, 10,000 each from Spain, Italy & the Mediterranean. Would they behave like Hungary or Germany? It is hard to tell, because they also have valid fear of terror- ism. But if they were alone, who knows how the emotions of the moment would work themselves out. As it is, there are EU members to share a rational response which also satisfies their "liberation" philosophy.
8
MW, is change good, simply for the sake of change?
If one objects to a demographic trend that plants Islam as a major (and eventually, the major) religion in Europe, is that being "spineless"?
Perhaps that's actually having some strength of conviction about the worth of European culture.
If one objects to a demographic trend that plants Islam as a major (and eventually, the major) religion in Europe, is that being "spineless"?
Perhaps that's actually having some strength of conviction about the worth of European culture.
1
@Steve Mumford
"MW, is change good, simply for the sake of change?
If one objects to a demographic trend that plants Islam as a major (and eventually, the major) religion in Europe, is that being "spineless"?
Perhaps that's actually having some strength of conviction about the worth of European culture."
According to Thomas Piketty the perfection of capitalism is rigging social upward mobility, to create glass ceilings. And maybe the best time for europe, and the most moral one, had been after WW2, and maybe it had been the best time for the US, too.
Maybe we need a little challenge to avoid incrustation.
And about the perils of Islam, this is like taking North-Ireland in the 80th as an example for christianity.
Take a look at the life of young syrians before the war. They were as hedonistic as we are, women went to university. Many arabians look at the european culture with a lot of idealism, but also with the lack to comprehend it.
We don't need the strengh of conviction, we need the strengh to live up to our own ideal, this includes sacrifices and uncertainties.
The refugee crisis will give the cards a shuffle, adds a little bit chaos and hardship, but i am sure it will be a gain in every moment.
"MW, is change good, simply for the sake of change?
If one objects to a demographic trend that plants Islam as a major (and eventually, the major) religion in Europe, is that being "spineless"?
Perhaps that's actually having some strength of conviction about the worth of European culture."
According to Thomas Piketty the perfection of capitalism is rigging social upward mobility, to create glass ceilings. And maybe the best time for europe, and the most moral one, had been after WW2, and maybe it had been the best time for the US, too.
Maybe we need a little challenge to avoid incrustation.
And about the perils of Islam, this is like taking North-Ireland in the 80th as an example for christianity.
Take a look at the life of young syrians before the war. They were as hedonistic as we are, women went to university. Many arabians look at the european culture with a lot of idealism, but also with the lack to comprehend it.
We don't need the strengh of conviction, we need the strengh to live up to our own ideal, this includes sacrifices and uncertainties.
The refugee crisis will give the cards a shuffle, adds a little bit chaos and hardship, but i am sure it will be a gain in every moment.
'And yet it is astonishingly efficient'
Yes, the commandments from Germany on refugees were distributed to the vassal states very quickly.
I don't think I have read a more vapid, mindlessly optimistic puff piece in any newspaper. No mention of Hungary? Or Austria closing its borders? Or the fact that half the continent is blighted by unemployment? Or Italy's giant debt pile, flat growth rates and dismal demographics?
I know things are bad in the EU, but that is no excuse to retreat into a fantasy land.
Yes, the commandments from Germany on refugees were distributed to the vassal states very quickly.
I don't think I have read a more vapid, mindlessly optimistic puff piece in any newspaper. No mention of Hungary? Or Austria closing its borders? Or the fact that half the continent is blighted by unemployment? Or Italy's giant debt pile, flat growth rates and dismal demographics?
I know things are bad in the EU, but that is no excuse to retreat into a fantasy land.
63
This is such a typical response from the UK... Somehow the Brits (whether or not J is indeed one) never seem to get over the hegemony complex. Well, good luck with that! You don't like the way the EU works? You don't like the power and influence Germany wields? Then come up with some constructive leadership instead of continuing the tantrum about what you don't like about the EU or how corrupt it is. The problem is whatever the UK may or may not like, it is very fast becoming irrelevant and marginal, especially if the Cameron government continues what it does now. Thank you very much for your enlightened opinion...uh...fantasy indeed.
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@J London
Agree. It appears as though too many have drunk the feel-good elixir, and don't get the fact that the case for Euro-Optimism is anything but "astonishingly efficient".
Agree. It appears as though too many have drunk the feel-good elixir, and don't get the fact that the case for Euro-Optimism is anything but "astonishingly efficient".
4
Eventually Mr Cameron has to come up with his proposals to "improve" the EU. What will it be? Rescuing the penguins at the South Pole? We need constructive proposals to strengthen the EU as a whole, not just another UK opt-out clause.
5
Interesting article. But one of the things Mr. Speck fails to mention is the intense fire Chancellor Merkel is now facing from the members of her own Conservative Party, the Socialists, as well as the German Minister of the Interior, who are beginning to notice the strains of having to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants now streaming into Germany on almost a daily basis.
Without a doubt it seemed like a good idea, and from a humanitarian sense it was the proper thing to do, but no one was prepared for the sheer volume that this open invitation would result in, which is evident by the lack of housing, and every other social constraint necessary to integrate people into a different society. To a great extent this task has been placed on ordinary German citizens, to supply everything from food, clothing and blankets, to toys and toiletries and compassion.
This is not to say that this is a bad thing. Many have found great comfort and purpose in lending a helping hand. But the signs are already starting to show that if this wave of migration doesn't lessen anytime soon, all of this goodwill certainly might. And this is something the German Chancellor would be wise to recognize.
Without a doubt it seemed like a good idea, and from a humanitarian sense it was the proper thing to do, but no one was prepared for the sheer volume that this open invitation would result in, which is evident by the lack of housing, and every other social constraint necessary to integrate people into a different society. To a great extent this task has been placed on ordinary German citizens, to supply everything from food, clothing and blankets, to toys and toiletries and compassion.
This is not to say that this is a bad thing. Many have found great comfort and purpose in lending a helping hand. But the signs are already starting to show that if this wave of migration doesn't lessen anytime soon, all of this goodwill certainly might. And this is something the German Chancellor would be wise to recognize.
14
The German government just now noticed that the number of asylum seekers showing up is likely to be as many as 1.5 million, and each one who get legal asylum is expected to bring 4 to 8 relatives over. Perhaps the Germans should have done some simple arithmetic before junking E.U. rules on refugees?
Back in 1908, baseball player Fred Merkle forgot to touch second base, costing the New York Giants the pennant. This went down in baseball history as "Merkle's Boner." We are now watching Merkel's Boner unfold.
Back in 1908, baseball player Fred Merkle forgot to touch second base, costing the New York Giants the pennant. This went down in baseball history as "Merkle's Boner." We are now watching Merkel's Boner unfold.
28
In 1989/90 we've reunificated ourselves with 15 million Germans. Some of those apparently are not so pleasant, as arsonists or members of Pegida. I see the recent wave of refugees (and economic migrants) just as the author of this article does: as a welcome opportunity to develop a stronger Europe. How many refugees will come obviously depends from many factors, and "scare numbers" are not helpful in the debate. - In polls, 66% of the Germans see us as a "country of immigration". Recent studies claim that the United States has now a lower labor mobility than the EU, and your social mobility is also worse. Societies can change...
2
Mr. Speck misses the largest crisis in EU area, the economic and financial crisis, which drags EU further into the severity of secular stagnation. According to the overview charts presented by Peter Praet of ECB on October 1st, the economic outlook does not show a rosy picture. Euro area's 5 years ahead annual growth expectation dropped to only 1.4%. Total factor productivity (TFP) has not been growing since 2008. Output gap between potential GDP and actual GDP is expected to expand to 10% level in 1017. This will drag EU area into possible deflation unless something drastic macro measures are to be taken. For example, core inflation has been declining to 0.9% this year. Unemployment continues to hover around 11%. Real domestic demand stays around 3% below of 2008 level. The disparity between vulnerable countries and other countries shows stagnancy.
This is because EU has been taking austerity economic policy. As a result, the merit of the unified currency is only enjoyed by countries like Germany. EU will not survive in this secular stagnation, worse than Japan's economy. Japan's real GDP growth per working-age population in this century is highest among G-7 countries, according to the data from St. Louis Fed.
This is because EU has been taking austerity economic policy. As a result, the merit of the unified currency is only enjoyed by countries like Germany. EU will not survive in this secular stagnation, worse than Japan's economy. Japan's real GDP growth per working-age population in this century is highest among G-7 countries, according to the data from St. Louis Fed.
22
Wind Surfer rightly points at the economic difficulties in Europe. Does he also mean to say that Europe's economy is doing worse compared with the rest of the world? One cannot see the economy separate from the political situation. If China's economy grows 4% Beijing would consider that problematic, if the EU-economy would grow with the same percentage, Europeans would burst out singing. Europe as a whole is performing well enough and the political system seems to function well compared to for instance US-politics.
1