Several reports have now confirmed what economists and activists warned months and even years ago: that the economic crisis, triggered by the financial collapse of 2007-2008 and the subsequent state-sponsored bailout of banks and investment funds, has resulted in higher unemployment and poverty rates in every country.
According to figures published by the official European statistics office, Eurostat, youth unemployment in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain is presently above 30 percent.
The situation is particularly difficult in Greece, where youth unemployment has more than doubled since 2008, to reach 55.4 percent in 2012. In Spain, where a 37 percent youth unemployment rate was the norm in 2008, the crisis has rendered over 50 percent of the youth labor force jobless.
But a few setbacks in the greatest democratic and economic project ever attempted by mankind are nothing compared to the huge accomplishments of the past 50 years in what is now known, and highly respected around the world, as the European Union.
The European Union born out of the destruction of war is designed to never again allow a war do to it what World War II did. To achieve this the nations of Europe agreed to sacrifice a large part of their national autonomy for the security of no more war and the efficiency of a huge free-trade zone. Over the years, nudged slowly and steadily on by visionary Euro-crats, the former rivals have gradually (and often reluctantly) morphed into a single union whose motto is "unity in diversity. which stresses sustainable and environmentally safe development.
Unfortunately, nationalism, paranoia, eurosceptism, self interest, corporate manipulation and greed has been trying to infiltrate and water down our European Dream.
Europe was never intended to become a copy of America where charity is prized as a voluntary, private-sector phenomenon. or where tax cuts for the wealthy" embraces the trickle-down theory that, as the rich get richer, they'll lift the poor with them, caring for others out of the goodness of their hearts. In fact, the presence of millionaires among the poor is seen by some Americans as a motor that drives people to work harder to win the same big payoff. Seventy percent of Americans believe the rich are rich because they're smarter and work harder, and the poor are poor because they're slackers; very few Europeans would agree with that notion.
Unfortunately, as statistics have shown us, the problem with the American Dream is the growing gap between rich and poor, making success a distant dream for those outside the bubble of wealth, and a crumbling infrastructure due to a lack of investment towards the upkeep and improvement of the infrastructure.
The American Dream emphasizes autonomy, national pride, and material wealth. Europe's vision of the future emphasizes community, cultural diversity, and quality of life. While America values hard work, property ownership, and a unilateral foreign policy, Europe champions more free personal time, better education and healthcare for all citizens, human rights, and multi-lateralism.
While the American Dream is personal, the European Dream is communal. This may seem naively altruistic, but ultimately Europeans recognize that looking out for the greater good is in their own best interests. And superstars are not as prized in Europe — where they say "the grain that grows taller will be cut first" — as in America.
Europeans strongly believe that their regulatory policies should be driven by the people's needs rather than corporate needs. One might conclude that, as American corporations continue their drive for profit at the expense of the environment, Americans are becoming second-class citizens in regard to chemical and environmental safety.
Europe must remain true to its values and not be overcome by multi-national corporate "sweet talk", or cut back on social services, which are not there merely to help the poor, but to enrich the society's quality of life. While politics in the traditional nation-state mold deals primarily with government and the economy, Europe also stresses civil society — religion, arts, environment, human rights, education, health, and ethnic sub-cultures. Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), which represent these aspects of a society (school groups, doctors' societies, church organizations, environmental groups, and so on), are the new kid on the political block, and are struggling for a place at the table. Europe understands that as multinational corporations become more powerful than governments , the governments will need the support of CSOs to remain valid players.
The EU has been vigorously pursuing a vision of complete integration into one vast trans-European network. Powered by an initial investment of $500 billion, a futuristic grid of transport, energy, and telecommunications is making Europe one super-efficient playing field for commerce and communication. It has also become a major player in space exploration with its own launching site in French Guiana while in the aircraft industry Airbus Industries is a company that is widely seen as an innovator in the business of airplane design and manufacturing. .
The EU is funding programs for over a million European students to go to high school in other member countries, and get job training or do volunteer service in another nation.
Weak links in the giant free-trade zone — like Portugal, Ireland and Greece — have been identified and are being brought up to speed with EU money. Today Portugal is laced by new freeways, and Ireland has a higher per capita income than England for the first time in history. Workers in poor regions are getting aid for education and to learn job skills.
Presently there are some 500 million people in 27 member countries who have EU citizenship. Just think of that accomplishment after a thousand years of killing. The visionary leaders of the European Dream, many of them in the Parliaments of the 27 member states or in the Pan European elected European Parliament, along with many Eurocrats in Brussels, are fostering a new political system that favors negotiation over ultimatums and cooperation over competition. It's plodding bureaucracy can seem clumsy and sometimes even laughable. But as an alternative to another devastating war every generation or two, it's a brilliant and peaceful vision.
There is no place in Europe today for narrow minded nationalism, eurosceptism or inward looking destructive austerity programs.
The EU's power will grow, not by expanding sovereignty, but by broadening cooperation based on mutual interest
EU-Digest Op-ed
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