Dr
Simon Usherwood, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Department of Politics,
University of Surrey U.K. heads up the Collaborative Research Network
on Euroskepticism. The findings are interesting reading for both the
embattled Euro Federalists and the rising Euroskeptics.
One
of the things Simon Usherwood notices when talking to an EU
“Fonctionnaire,”
or
to most people in the ‘Brussels bubble’ for that matter, is the
language: Suddenly, we are in a world of jargon, acronyms and values.
“European integration is good,” the officials say “a goal to
which we can work.”
While
the European Union has striven to democratise itself, it still finds
it difficult to open up to other voices, especially when those voices
do not agree with their policy or doctrine.
One
of the consequences of this elitist control has been the emergence
and rise of Euroskepticism.
 |
Under siege, 49 organisation
have TEAM across Europe to challenge
EU legitimacy. It is now suggested Brussels dismantles the
wall of silence towards the Euroskeptics.Picture:
Leopold park, Brussels. 2012
|
Over
past years these skeptics were either marginalised or ignored, often
despised by a number of EU officials who palmed them off as
misinformed or populist.
But
not anymore. Embedded skepticism is now a persistent part of the
European Union. Over a third of respondents in a recent
Euro-barometer survey felt no benefit from membership of the EU over
the past ten years and more importantly, levels of trust in all EU
institutions have plummeted.
New
anti EU pressure groups are getting organised across the continent
supported by ever more substantial resources. Look at the mission
statement of The European Alliance of EU-Critical Movements and their
criticisms of the Union.
“What
unites Europe's citizens is a common belief in the principles of
democracy - as requiring representative government, citizen
participation, transparency, accountability and free and fair public
debate. We regard the current development of the EU as a manifest
threat to these principles.”
In
National parliaments soft skepticism challenging individual policy,
fiscal integration and enlargement can now be found in many
mainstream parties throughout the Union.
The
response to date from the Brussels Bubble has been largely, one of
indifference, a passive reliance on the fog shrouded machinations of
the huge EU complex to get their way. This apathy pushes the
project's leaders further into a blanket of mist and beyond the view
of most citizens. “Instead of the old parlour game of naming ten
famous Belgians, try naming ten famous pro-Europeans” asks
Usherwood.
Euroskeptic
success in pointing out the shortcomings of the EU has eclipsed the
overall Union package deal and the benefits of integration. At times,
it is hard not to feel that the EU has brought much of this situation
on itself.
In
the face of this challenge, there is a need to act. For too long, the
existing structures and systems have been attacked, leaving them like
hollow shells of their former selves. Can anyone still argue that the
solution is simply to give more powers to the European Parliament, or
to launch another information campaign? Part of the answer, Usherwood
argues, lies with the skeptics themselves. This is not because they
have all the answers, but because they ask important questions.
Usherwood
says there is a strong case to be made for listening to the
Euroskeptics to address their fears and concerns and that engagement
might result in a more stable and legitimate Union.
All
political systems have to balance three fundamental features:
legitimacy, effectiveness and efficiency. Skeptics strongly favour
the first of these, while Federalists push for the last two. However,
what makes for a stable system is a balance between all three and
currently the Union does not look to be serving any of them
particularly well. The view is that things will get worse before they
get any better.
The
central argument is simple. By engaging with Euroskeptics in all
their diversity and contradiction, the Union will be better placed to
improve its legitimacy in the short-term and its effectiveness in the
longer-term.
Euroskeptics
might not have the solutions, but their their growing presence
demands Federalists attention and eventually, their involvement in
resolving the present Impasse.
…...adapted,
edited and abridged with permissions from the original article
http://alturl.com/whujj
What
can the EU learn from the Euroskeptics? By Simon Usherwood
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