Eurosceptic

Pitching Europe

The European crisis has been long, savage and multifaceted, and from today’s vantage-point there is precious little light to be glimpsed at the end of the tunnel. Headwinds from the global financial collapse of 2008 have sent the economy spiralling off course, with a cycle of debt and austerity drawing in every EU country to a greater or lesser extent. On the union’s periphery, Ukraine and Syria have been consumed by civil wars, the latter manifesting in the worst refugee crisis on European soil since 1945. The radical-Right is on the march once more, and we see their mirror image in the perpetrators of recent terror attacks against our capital cities. Not so long ago, Europe was the future – but now its governing institutions are enfeebled, its citizens angry and fearful, and its position in the world increasingly in question.

What can be done? The Project for Democratic Union was founded to make a case which we know many of our leaders accept but few are brave enough to support: the only way to resolve Europe’s present crises and contradictions is to drive forwards to full EU integration. Contrary to the claims of Eurosceptics, there are no national solutions to problems that are more transnational than ever before, and now would be the very worst moment for us to retreat back behind our national dividing-lines. Instead, we have a bold vision for a federal European republic that is both radically democratic and a force for stability and justice in an increasingly uncertain world.

Under our plan, austerity would be ended and the euro saved by a single, one-time mutualisation of all member-state public debt, consolidated in a new federal treasury. The armed forces of all member-states would be dissolved and reconstituted as a federal defence force, capable of providing a robust deterrent against further Russian aggression and, if necessary, perform a conflict resolution role in the Middle East. And, most importantly of all, the EU institutions would be radically reformed as a new federal government with a directly-elected European president, a cabinet of ministers and a bicameral legislature with full democratic oversight.

Beyond these core elements of a federal state – which together guarantee the solvency, security and democracy of Europe – subsidiarity is our key principle. European countries are suffering from a democratic deficit on all levels of decision-making, and we want to see as much power as possible devolved to the state, regional and local level. A European federation also has the potential to heal many of the social divisions caused by the system of unitary nation-states – to take just one example, linguistic and cultural minorities would no longer face second-class status due to being caught on the wrong side of a national border.

This vision runs very much against the grain of conventional opinion as more and more of our leaders jump on the bandwagon of Eurosceptic populism. Even if full integration is the most cogent proposal for Europe’s future, it will not come about on its own – we will only win the argument by convincing a majority of our fellow citizens, which is why the PDU needs your help. We are looking to build a grassroots movement of people, especially the young, who are suffering as a result of the present malaise and want to see change. We want to spark a movement for a unified and democratic Europe.

We are a new organisation, and still small, but we have already started to shift the debate about the direction of Europe’s future. We have offices in several major European cities and we always have opportunities for project assistants, but we are also clarify that we want to break politics out of the usual elite spaces of the university, the think-tank and the corporate media. If you are willing to take the initiative, we are ready to support a start-up group in your area. We are waiting to hear from you.

Out of the ashes of its last great crisis, the Second World War, Europe built an era of peace and prosperity that was unimaginable only a few years earlier. With similar imagination and determination, we can do the same again today. One future; one Europe.

Lifestyle & Innovation

by Philip Moore.

Refugees stopped in Hungary on their way to Germany; French and Italian officials working day and night to keep Greece in the Eurozone; Eastern and Western European nations clashing over Europe’s relationship with Russia. If you were alive these past six months – a safe bet if you’re reading this article – you probably encountered at one point or another the strange beast we call the ‘European problem’.

This most irksome of life forms can thrive and multiply in any environment. There it is, lurking inside your sim card, or messing about in your soup; most of all it seems to prefer your newspaper, its natural habitat, where it awaits the opportunity to strike. Soon, experts warn, there will be a ‘European problem’ hiding behind every headline, and there will be nothing you or I can do about it.

It is perhaps the ultimate cliché to assert that European problems require European solutions. This may or may not be true, depending on the issue; what is certain is that they require a European understanding. Without an informed European citizenry, aware of the context and constraints in which national politics operate, conscious of the deep interconnectedness between all member states, and ready to hold decision-makers at every level accountable for their actions, there can be little hope of addressing the common crises our continent is facing.

Yet the media that most European citizens engage with is almost uniformly national in scope.  If you are a Pole, Poland is the centre of the world; if you are Austrian, everything revolves around Austria[1].  Other member states are presented as (at best) friendly rivals or (at worst) threats to the nation’s wellbeing. Interactions between member states are reduced to a zero sum game: where France gains, the United Kingdom loses, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, anything that comes out of Europe is either sinister, too soporific to pay any closer attention to, or both. Consider, for example, how often your national politicians blame European institutions for decisions they personally approved – and journalists let them get away with it. No one would deny that local and national newspapers are vital organs of a healthy democracy; but an exclusively national framing of current events can only foster ignorance and resentment.

To counter this tendency, there have been many courageous initiatives in pan-European media, this paper included. Although a decisive step in the right direction, they remain too few and too limited in their audience. The emerging ‘European public sphere’ has so far struggled to find its public.  For too long, Europe has been depicted as the province of unscrupulous lobbyists and insipid bureaucrats.

It is particularly revealing, for instance, that a number of online publications restrict articles about the European Union to premium readers. By a strange circular logic, it is assumed that only a niche audience will want to inform themselves about the EU; therefore, any EU-related article is hidden behind a pay wall; therefore, only a niche audience informs themselves about the EU. QED. Is it any wonder that so many perceive the EU to be an exclusive, elitist club?

It is time to proclaim, boldly and loudly, that Europe is interesting. Yes, Europe is interesting – not only the European Union, but also Europe, the living, breathing continent, our common home of cheese, cathedrals and American tourists. And it is interesting not only to pro-Europeans, but also to eurosceptics, and to those who at the moment could not care less which direction Europe is headed, but probably should.

For the European public sphere to concern all Europeans, pan-European media must be unafraid to expand its ambitions and explore uncharted territory. Our national media flourishes because of a wild diversity we often take for granted. In the open democracies of Europe, there is a paper, channel or website for everyone – some serious-minded, others crazy and offbeat, some cultural, others countercultural, some elitist and restrained, others populist and rabidly partisan.

Why can’t European media emulate this diversity? Where is the European ‘Daily Show’? Where is the hard-hitting European investigative journalism? There are dozens of ventures begging to be started by those ready to seize the opportunity.

A European online satirical newspaper is currently in development and should be out in the coming months. Many more initiatives will have to follow: building the European public sphere will take more than one project or group, no matter how dedicated. Your ideas, your contributions are desperately needed.

It is the 1989 Generation Initiative’s hope that they will combine to redefine European media in the 21st century, paving the way for a more open and democratic pan-European conversation.

 

This article comes from our partner organization, the 1989 Generation Initiative. You can find more information on them on their website, Facebook, and EurActiv blog.

 

Image taken from Flickr, by 24oranges.nl.