The European Union

The European Union
What Advantage as well as disadvantage?

Antonia Cordedda and Paul

With the decrease in power of the US, the EU is going to become the main actor in the world in many sectors. This tendency arises from the huge size of the EU and the high level of its economy. There are 27 Member States, 500 million people and 23 official languages at 1st January 2009. This growth is increasing every year due to other countries joining, and each country brings its own culture and traditions. This factor creates a giant power in the world.

With the introduction of the euro in 2002, there was one official currency for all members and one single market. The euro became the second reserve currency in the world. At the present time it seems to be the most reliable currency – many countries do business in euros instead of dollars.

The EU has many advantages. Citizens can move from country to country without any passport, and qualifications are recognized in all countries. Goods can be bought and sold without any barriers, thanks to the Maastricht and Schengen agreements. People can compare and enjoy different cultures. The quality of life is high, both in terms of culture, per capita income, and health and social benefits.

We must also analyze some negative factors. There is a lot of rhetoric in the debate about Europe: on the one hand the media and politicians use kind words about the European dream, while on the other everyone is looking after their own interests. This is hypocritical. As a matter of fact, nation states want to maintain control, while at the same time they have to devolve power to the EU. The consequence is that this giant economy lacks its own voice and this is a weakness. During the present economic crisis the EU shows again that it doesn’t have its own policies to solve the problems.

Enlargement is causing some serious problems. Large countries want to keep their power, while small countries want to steal the power of the large countries. The new entrants have a low level of economy, and there is a problem of the relocation of industry. Large countries welcome workers and foreign companies, but they become our competitors and there is competition for work with local people.

On balance, the positive aspects are more than the negative, and this pays off the dreams of the founding fathers of the EU: Spinelli, Schuman, Adenauer, Monnet and others.