Manifest Confusion

We are told, now and then, that since the European Union exists, it is a fact we have to live with.

If the French people had paid heed to such a conservative argument in 1793, we in France would still be the subjects of His Majesty, instead of being the citizens of a republic, endowed with rights. Surely, royalty has a more formidable history compared to the European Union which is no more than some 15 years old – or 50 years, if you include its previous versions.

The confusion between Europe and the European Union is a manifest error, artfully maintained by the partisans of the European Union. This leads one to believe that the European Union has always been there, and that it will be there forever. For those who favour the European Union, there is no distinction between the ‘construction of Europe’ and the ‘construction of the European Union.’ However, it is vital to establish the distinction between the European Union and Europe so that we can arrive at clear conclusions as regards the European Union, its existence, its orientations and its activities.

Europe is a continent, limited geographically by the Atlantic Ocean, the Arctic glaciers, the Urals, and the Mediterranean. This is a continent formed a long time ago by tectonic plate movements. Europe is a continent which has been inhabited for a long time – most of her people came from the East. Today the immigration continues, but its nature has changed, and the origins of those coming to Europe are more diverse.

In the course of history diverse societies developed here, and these European people have lived here more or less peacefully for several centuries. It is important to note that historically the democratic and social achievements of the European peoples have been within their national contexts: a nation is formed through common battles for liberties, for civil rights, for the security of the citizens and for a democratic polity. Naturally, these achievements differ from country to country, because of their different histories.

The European Union, on the other hand, is not a continent. It is a recently created political structure. It came into existence through the Maastricht Treaty of 1993 and succeeds the other political structures which were formed on the basis of the Treaty of Rome of 1957. The orientation, and the personalities, of the Vatican have had an important role in its formation.

• This European Union is led by two unelected bodies: the European Commission, and the European Central Bank of Frankfurt.
• There is a ‘European Parliament’, but its powers are very reduced. In fact, Parliament is a misnomer for this body because to be a member of this Parliament one must agree to limit one’s action to implementing the Treaty of Maastricht.
• While formally the national leaders retain a certain amount of power, they can be constrained through the mechanism of the European Directives.

Referendum of Ratification?

Finally, the European Union’s powers flow from a transfer of sovereignty which was agreed by national leaders without a democratic consultation.

The case of the European Constitutional Treaty is a good example: of the three countries where a referendum was held, only Luxembourg has said ‘YES’. Let us remind ourselves that in Spain the referendum was not consultative in nature, and its result is notable for the number of people who did not vote. One might remark that on the issue of the European Union, we are not really near the claimed unanimity of the European peoples, with the people of France and the Netherlands being presented as exceptions!

Let us also note that in the referendums organised by the European Union, the only answer possible is a ‘YES’!

• Countries like Denmark and Ireland which voted ‘NO’ in the past years were invited to vote again, so that they could choose the correct answer this time! This course of action was contemplated in June 2005, but it was not attempted because that would without doubt have confirmed the ‘NO’ answer.

• It was not possible for the European Union to imagine that the answer to the question of a Constitutional Treaty could be a ‘NO’. Such an eventuality had not been foreseen and nothing had been planned for it. So after the French and the Dutch negative votes on the Constitutional Treaty, we were told that there was no ‘Plan B’. More, we were told that we had simply thrown a spanner in the smooth workings of the machine.

This process cannot be called a referendum, it is a ratification.

Countering American Power?

Each of us is entitled to an opinion about the European Union, but one has to be cautious not to be a victim of the pervasive propaganda.

One important example: we are repeatedly told that the European Union is indispensable for fighting American economic power. But those who say this forget to tell us that

• American pension funds hold a large part of the capital of the European companies (for half of the principal 40 companies which form the CAC 40 of the French Stock Market Index)

• The New York Stock Exchange owns the important Stock Exchanges of Paris and Amsterdam.

• The so-called “European Defense” depends on NATO, led by the American government.

It is important to take into account these elements in the vital discussions on the nature and the orientation of the European Union. That would be one of the pre- conditions for a calm and constructive debate within the IHEU.

Roger Lepeix is Treasurer of IHEU and a Board Member of the French Freethinkers Association.