When one thinks of Europe there are a few things that immediately come to mind such as the Euro, neighboring countries with separate unique cultures and histories from one another, snobby French, cobblestone streets, and the European union. Among all of these things however, in lieu of all the crises plaguing the world, the European Union is becoming a common term in socio-economic and political discourse. On the surface the European Union (EU) is a confederation of countries with a partial governing body and it’s own currency. However, from the perspective of a non-European twenty year old whose worldview is based off of movies it is difficult to begin to understand that the EU is not the United States of Europe and why it is so important.
Map showing the member states of the current EU and potential candidates.
Luckily, this past week JSBP was fortunate enough to learn all about the European Union from a prominent member of the European Commission—a sub division of the EU—Mr. Andras Baneth. Mr. Baneth was extremely helpful in explaining to us the function of the EU and its goals for the future, and most importantly to all of us in JSBP what exactly the European Union is. He explained to us that in a very basic and simplified way that the EU was created after the Second World War to keep Germany from starting another world war. It started with the idea that if powerful European countries could be interdependent there would be far less chance for conflict. So, the EU started by making these major countries reliant on one another for steel and coal. A representative body made up of member states would regulate trade and overlook relations between the member states. The EU has since grown from its humble beginning to incorporate 27 member states and implement its own currency—the Euro.
"If the Euro fails, Europe fails."
In recent years, unfortunately, there have been many substantial crises that threaten the integrity of the EU. For example, the accession of Turkey as a member state and the economic situation in Greece are both causing dissent amongst other member states. Mr. Baneth explained to us in a very sincere and concerned way that these crises are very real and their respective outlooks look grim. He spoke to us about the current economic situation in the EU and what the implications would be if a member state like Greece were to go bankrupt. If Greece were to be bailed out it would mean that the Euro failed as a currency and according to the Chancellor of Germany, “If the Euro fails, the EU fails, and there will be war in Europe.” What ever the solution whether it be would be reposing the Euro and reestablish national currencies or a restructuring of the EU economic system the outcome would be catastrophic. It seems as though the member states in the EU want all of the benefits they receive from being members, but without stricter regulation on currency this seems like impossibility.
The second verse of this song reminds me of the mood Mr. Baneth had towards the EU in its current state. ". . . It seems like it's dying and it's hardly been born."
