Ventura County Star: The European Union- An economic Giant but a Political Dwarf - no match for USA

For the complete report from the Ventura Star click on this link

The European Union- An economic Giant but a Political Dwarf - no match for USA

While the EU has seen some success, there have been far more disappointments and unmet promises. It battles over minor issues: wanting Germany to give up its treasured autobahns to save gas and reduce carbon dioxide emissions; Great Britain finally joining the EU, but refusing to replace the pound with the euro. It has been battling for years about whether to grant Turkey membership while its internal Muslim populations grow by leaps and bounds. And it battles over major issues like its role in geopolitics. As Klaus Haensch, former president of the European Parliament, said recently: "The EU has to orient itself to the outside world now. Someone who is an economic giant but wants to stay a political dwarf is not acting modestly, but irresponsibly."

"The most telling indicator of how far the EU has to go is the fact that 50 years after its inception, it still does not have a constitution. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is pushing for a constitution to be passed by 2009, but as recently as 2005, voters in France and the Netherlands rejected a constitution effort. Werner Hoyer, German lawmaker and a member of the Free Democratic Party, said: 'People are afraid of losing their regional and national identities if too much is turned over to Brussels (EU headquarters). I think national leaders have not explained the EU well enough to their voters. You don't lose your identity by joining the EU, you gain another identity.'"