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The European Union model is not a good one for WP
John D. GIORGIS
Saturday, 17 May 2003 05:26:07 +0200
Mr. Everingham:
I must say that I am completely mystified by what "recent gains" you attribute to the EU "in competition with the US." Surely you aren't referring to the competition to be able to protect innocent victims of ethnic cleansing on one's own continent nor the competition to be able to destroy terrorist camps and liberate millions of people many miles away? Also, surely you aren't referring to competition in economic growth?
Most mystifying of all, however, is your description of the EU as "transparent, accountable, and federal." Dealing with these in reverse, first, I think that almost any European would be shocked and appalled to learn that the EU is "federal." Secondly, the EU is notoriously unaccountable since almost all of the officials who hold the real power in the EU are not elected. This despite the fact that the EU now produces, by some estimates, 50%+ of all of Europe's laws. Lastly, by the EU's own admission, it is not transparent. Indeed, it has presently convened a Constitutional Convention, one of who's primary purposes is to increase the transparency of the EU's institutions, and to simplify its currently convoluted structure.
It is worth noting that whenever greater integration in the EU is put to a vote in EU-member countries, the EU tends to do very poorly. Surveys among the European Union countries show that Europeans are profoundly mistrustful of the European Union, and do not feel that they have a meaningful stake in the EU.
In my humble opinion, the EU shows precisely how *not* to go about setting up a World Parliament that will be accountable, transparent, and meaningful. The EU was imposed in a top-down basis, instituted by the elites of European governments on the European people. I believe that one of the goals of the WP21 organizers is to have the initiative come from the bottom-up, that is to arise from the peoples. This would be the opposite of the EU's methodology.
JDG
WP21 Alliance Forum on a World Parliament for the 21st Century
E-mail : world-parl@forums.alliance21.org
Fax 1 717 264 5036
Information, inscriptions, désinscriptions: germa@alliance21.org
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