Wolfang
Baron
Hello everyone.
I am interested in what my fellow Europeans (and people from elsewhere as well) have to say on the subject of one united nation of Europe. Most Europeans have an opinion on this matter, often extremes. Some want to leave the EU altogether (UK?), whilst others are asking to join the EU, I'm interested in what you all have to say!
So I will start off with my own opinion.
It would be a completion of more than fifty years of unification. As a reaction to the growing power of the US, and the danger of the SU, European nations came together to increase their power which, after WW2, was lowering. The economic benefits have been massive, most Western European countries are still right up there in the top 10 economies. Countries such as Spain, Ireland and Italy (and others) have had booms pulling them out of poverty. New countries are lined up to becoming new booming economies, most notably of which, Poland, but let's not forget all the other eastern european countries.
The 2008 Financial crisis, which spurred the 2010 European Crisis has increased anti-euro party's powers. Countries like Spain, Italy and Greece were on different economic levels compared with other european nations. People didn't like that the richer countries had to 'pay' for the bad governing in the latter countries. There are also protests that opening the EU to more Eastern European countries (as of Jan 1 Romanians and Bulgarians are free to pass across all EU borders) will make them 'take ur jerbs', or steal our iphones.
Personally, I think a united country would be almost impossible to create. Yet people in the past would have said the same of the EU, and they would certainly have said that the Euro currency would never be possible (some countries still opted out from the euro), yet it happened. Imagine a united Europe, where you can drive from the Portuguese coast to the Ukrainian open. So many cultures, so many languages, so much history, so many religions, so much love, and hate between all these peoples, yet all together in a united nation. Many civilizations and nations have attempted it yet it has never succeded.
What I would see is a State-system, much like that of the USA, in which states would be countries (UK/NL/BEL), or large regions (eg Scotland/England, Flanders/Wallonia) (alternatively, new sorts of states eg. Lowlands State(= Belgium+NL+Lux)). Each state has it's own government with its own laws, but there is a Federal government with federal laws. There is one army, one set of bonds to sell (will prevent things like the Eurocrisis where only certain countries had difficulties borrowing money), social security etc.
The increase in world-power and say would be drastic. Although the EU in it's current form is quite powerful, it is still not very united, every country has it's own mind and does their own thing, united the decisivness and economies of scale would be massive. Just like in the US, there will obviously still be poorer regions and richer regions, but the poorer regions won't be beat up constantly. In a world that is rapidly globalising, where large 'united states' countries like USA, China, Russia and others ALWAYS have the say and veto's, the european regions would, by uniting completely, be one of those super regions, as was the intent of the founding countries by lowering trade barriers and starting the unification.
Currently many regions in the world are attempting to unify in the same way, none of which have reached the extent of the EU, such as NAFTA (which also greatly increased trade between the countries), Andean Pact (which mostly failed), and the Mercosur (Which worked increaing the economies greatly for a time, before it failed again with the sepperate brazilian & argentine crisis), South east asia is starting one as well (WIP), and the biggest possible free trade zone to come might be a pacific rim trade zone.
I think the biggest dificulty would be patriotism, and a sense of loss of identity which many people attach to their nationality, yet I feel, with time, such a thing wouldn't be important, like in the US, people would say what state they were from but wouldn't want to be an independant nation. I think the economy would grow tremendously as well as our wealth. Eastern Europe is virtually untouched, it would be like combining the capital rich US (Western Europe) with China (Eastern Europe) in one country. Both would benefit tremendously imo.
I could go on and on, but, what do you think?
I am interested in what my fellow Europeans (and people from elsewhere as well) have to say on the subject of one united nation of Europe. Most Europeans have an opinion on this matter, often extremes. Some want to leave the EU altogether (UK?), whilst others are asking to join the EU, I'm interested in what you all have to say!
So I will start off with my own opinion.
It would be a completion of more than fifty years of unification. As a reaction to the growing power of the US, and the danger of the SU, European nations came together to increase their power which, after WW2, was lowering. The economic benefits have been massive, most Western European countries are still right up there in the top 10 economies. Countries such as Spain, Ireland and Italy (and others) have had booms pulling them out of poverty. New countries are lined up to becoming new booming economies, most notably of which, Poland, but let's not forget all the other eastern european countries.
The 2008 Financial crisis, which spurred the 2010 European Crisis has increased anti-euro party's powers. Countries like Spain, Italy and Greece were on different economic levels compared with other european nations. People didn't like that the richer countries had to 'pay' for the bad governing in the latter countries. There are also protests that opening the EU to more Eastern European countries (as of Jan 1 Romanians and Bulgarians are free to pass across all EU borders) will make them 'take ur jerbs', or steal our iphones.
Personally, I think a united country would be almost impossible to create. Yet people in the past would have said the same of the EU, and they would certainly have said that the Euro currency would never be possible (some countries still opted out from the euro), yet it happened. Imagine a united Europe, where you can drive from the Portuguese coast to the Ukrainian open. So many cultures, so many languages, so much history, so many religions, so much love, and hate between all these peoples, yet all together in a united nation. Many civilizations and nations have attempted it yet it has never succeded.
What I would see is a State-system, much like that of the USA, in which states would be countries (UK/NL/BEL), or large regions (eg Scotland/England, Flanders/Wallonia) (alternatively, new sorts of states eg. Lowlands State(= Belgium+NL+Lux)). Each state has it's own government with its own laws, but there is a Federal government with federal laws. There is one army, one set of bonds to sell (will prevent things like the Eurocrisis where only certain countries had difficulties borrowing money), social security etc.
The increase in world-power and say would be drastic. Although the EU in it's current form is quite powerful, it is still not very united, every country has it's own mind and does their own thing, united the decisivness and economies of scale would be massive. Just like in the US, there will obviously still be poorer regions and richer regions, but the poorer regions won't be beat up constantly. In a world that is rapidly globalising, where large 'united states' countries like USA, China, Russia and others ALWAYS have the say and veto's, the european regions would, by uniting completely, be one of those super regions, as was the intent of the founding countries by lowering trade barriers and starting the unification.
Currently many regions in the world are attempting to unify in the same way, none of which have reached the extent of the EU, such as NAFTA (which also greatly increased trade between the countries), Andean Pact (which mostly failed), and the Mercosur (Which worked increaing the economies greatly for a time, before it failed again with the sepperate brazilian & argentine crisis), South east asia is starting one as well (WIP), and the biggest possible free trade zone to come might be a pacific rim trade zone.
I think the biggest dificulty would be patriotism, and a sense of loss of identity which many people attach to their nationality, yet I feel, with time, such a thing wouldn't be important, like in the US, people would say what state they were from but wouldn't want to be an independant nation. I think the economy would grow tremendously as well as our wealth. Eastern Europe is virtually untouched, it would be like combining the capital rich US (Western Europe) with China (Eastern Europe) in one country. Both would benefit tremendously imo.
I could go on and on, but, what do you think?
