Nonetheless, enlargement is still viewed with suspicion due to the fact that enlargement has made the EU more cumbersome and bureaucratic and increased the fear of a ‘democratic deficit’. One of the most cited reasons for rejecting the Constitution was the bureaucratization of the EU and concerns over local autonomy; this second point was in part due to provisions within the constitution to create the post of an EU foreign minister, a president of the European Council and the removal of single country vetoes where major foreign policy matters were not at stake.
As can be seen, the enlargement of the EU played a major part in shifting voter’s perceptions of the EU, however, it must be noted that even without the enlargement the constitution could have still failed due to voter’s fears of weakened national autonomy. European Union today and the Future of the Project Despite the rejection of the Constitution and the provisions held within for an EU foreign minister.
However, it appears that within certain policy areas a high percentage of people believe that decisions should either be made on an EU level or made jointly with the European Union.
What is interesting is that these policy areas are some of the most important areas facing the EU today. Decisions should be made jointly within the European Union For… % EU Euro barometer 67. 2, 2007 The sentiments expressed above may be due to a perception that because of the nature of the EU, it offers the best possible chance for pooling resources, both physical and material, in fighting for a common goal.
However, it could also be because EU citizens have grown weary of an ever widening Union.
Current support for further enlargement sits at 49%, an EU average pushed up by Croatia’s 72%. While in the EU-15 63% of people think that in fifty years time the EU will be a leading power, 56% think it will have an Army and 51% think the EU will have a president elected by all EU citizens. This perception of the EU future as a deeper union is reflected in 66% support for an EU constitution; most surprisingly with France giving 68% support.
While most of these positive figures are due to the economic ‘feel good’ factor (prior to the collapse of the US sub-prime market) the fact that 69% of EU citizens feel optimistic about the future of the EU, even after the enlargement of the Union to 27 members, can only be taken as a positive sign for integrationists. Earlier in this report I addressed the question of how the EU could move forward as a heterogeneous unit, in closing I would like to draw attention to one other example of federated states and the disparities in GDP. Disparities within the EU Germany GDP $2. 875 trillion.
Luxemburg Per Capita $ 84,507 Bulgaria GDP $28. 01 billion Per capita $10, 700 (Source CIA world fact book, accessed on 20/10/2007) Disparities within the US California GDP $1,277,355 million Vermont GDP $24,213 million Delaware per capita $ 66,961 Mississippi per capita $ 27 829 While it is clear that the disparity in wealth is far greater within Europe, with Luxembourg having a GDP per capita of 284% the EU average. This is primarily due to the nature of the city of Luxembourg. With the EU as a whole the GDP per capita of Bulgaria is only 39%; the EU average of $ 29,342.
This is a comparable figure to that of the difference between Mississippi and the US average of $43, 800. (http://epp. eurostat. ec. europa. eu/extraction/evalight/EVAlight. jsp? A=18language=en&root=/theame/econ-r/esa95/gdp95/e3gdp95 and http://www. beagov/beanewsrealarchive/2006/gsp1006. htm) As such, a federated state can operate even if there are disparities in wealth, also due to the redistributive nature of the EU it is possible within several generations to close this gap and return to a homogenous union.
However, until then the EU must move forward and deepen integration – it is the only way that Europe can fully pool her resources and have the diplomatic counterweight to American hegemony and neo-liberalism. With the EU as one and with a population of 470 million and a GDP of $14 trillion the Union has great potential to influence world energy policy, climate change and migration “if the EU gets its act together on energy, climate change and migration, it will have created a foreign policy. It just won’t look like the foreign policies we are used to right now”.(The Economist 27/10/2007).
Bibliography Aherns, J et al, (2005) ‘Deepening Integration in an Enlarged EU: A Club-theoretical Perspective’ European Integration Vol. 27 No. 4, Andersen, S. and Sitter, N. (2006) ‘Differentiated Integration: What is it and how much can the EU accommodate? ‘ Journal of European Integration Bache, I. and George, S. (2006) Politics in the European Union (2nd ed) Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press Beach, D. (2005) The dynamics of European integration: Why and when EU institutions matter.
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Charlemagne ‘The new EU treaty creates three competing posts for the title “Mr. Europe”‘ The Economist Vol. 385, 27/10/07 Gillingham, J. (2003) European Integration: Super state or new market economy? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Grabbe, H. (2001) ‘Profiting from EU enlargement’, Centre for European reform London: Centre for European reform Jachtenfuchs, J, (2002) ‘Deepening and widening integration theory’, Journal of European Public Policy Moravcsik, A.(1999).
The Choice for Europe: Social purpose and state power from Messina to Maastricht UCL Press Murphy, A, ‘The May 2004 Enlargement of the European Union: View from Two Years Out’ Eurasian Geography and Economics Vol. 47 No. 6, 2006 Wiener, A. and Diez, T. (2004) European Integration Theory Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press http://epp. eurostat. ec. europa. eu/extraction/evalight/EVAlight. jsp? A=18language=en&root=/theame/econ-r/esa95/gdp95/e3gdp95 (accessed 30/10/07) http://www. beagov/beanewsrealarchive/2006/gsp1006. htm (accessed 30/10/07).
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