Renaissance for Europe – 10 provoking thoughts

The recent decade has witnessed a deterioration of the Europe that came together while fulfilling a promise of a post-war generation. Though memories of the cataclysm of 1939 – 1945 have been most vivid at the beginning – the real motivation was not just a fear to prevent the story repeating itself. No more wars, no more poverty and hunger, no more some against others – those notions may have brought states, societies and individuals together, however what has kept them united has been an idea that jointly they can make a new history. Altogether they could fulfil dreams of long lasting peace, overall prosperity and democracy. This vision has been meaningful and worth fighting for – always and forever, despite all the challenges, detours and predicaments.

The progressive family has always strived for a political Union that puts people first. The initial scepticism of many parties versus an initiative that was initially driven by an economic cooperation has become this political movement’s inspiration to develop an alternative proposal. Common market and tighter industrial relations would not be enough, they decided. This became a promise of a Social Europe – which would carry a promise that benefits of the Union would first and foremost serve improving working and living conditions of the citizens. They, being the members of herewith created polity, would be the ones to have a decisive say about the future of the Community and this was why the idea of establishing direct European elections was so important.

The successful achievements of the past sixty years are undeniable. But this does not stop the contemporary to ask the existential question what is the sense of Europe today. The Treaty ofMaastricht that was to empower citizens and deepen the European democracy brought on the Union an imbalanced construction. The uncompleted Monetary Union with insufficient tools for Europe to react became its liability in times of crisis. The Growth and Stability Pact imposed requirements, while not being supported with strategies that would assist all the members to comply with the expectations. Though the lisbon Strategy was a beacon of hope in terms of transforming the labour market and herewith also adapt the European Social Model, it did not live up to witness the fulfilment of the ambitious commitments that had been made then. Finally, the Constitutional Treaty, which was to voice people’s vision of Europe of the new millennium, was rejected by the citizens of the two founding member states. Though it is hard to believe that with so many brave ideas, the results can be so discouraging – the case still is that the reoccurring question across the continent seems to echo a sentiment of disbelief: “do we really need this Europe? And what for?”