Like it or not, Europe is currently just a free association of states, aimed at protecting and developing a common economy. It was indeed born as the “European Economic Community” and, although since then unionistic ambitions have greatly increased to create a socio-political entity similar to the United States of America, in practice the goal is still far away.
A shift to accelerate
It’s a shame, considering that many recent events, from the Covid epidemic to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, have shown that a concrete shift towards a federal system of the U.S. type would be desirable to better defend not only the economy that was the foundation of the Union’s birth but also all other areas of common interest. From welfare to healthcare, from defense to taxation, including justice.
Too many conflicting interests
An objective that, however, is currently unattainable in light of the fact that all member countries, precisely because they are involved in a union and not a federal system, are oriented towards protecting their own interests before those of the common good and therefore have no intention or incentive to cede even part of their national sovereignty. This results in long and exhausting negotiations before reaching shared decisions, also due to approval processes that are too often based on unanimity, which effectively allows even the smallest member state to block decisions agreed upon by all the others.
Many parties = many clientelisms
Additionally, there are too many political parties present in Brussels, each aiming to promote their own positions, whether for ideological reasons or self-interest, through representatives whose average professional level in political terms is often low or even non-existent. However, it is true that only by voting can we think of changing the current status quo and also lead Europe towards an international representation that is not only economic. To achieve this goal, however, a bipolar political management is necessary to clean up all those political groups that represent only themselves, parties that absorb energy without yielding returns. Therefore, if you sympathize with the Left or Center-Left, hold your nose and vote for the Democratic Party. If you lean towards the Right or Center-Right, grab an FFP2 mask, put it on, and vote for Brothers of Italy. If you are undecided, better a cabin at the beach than an electoral booth.
European elections 2024: the tables
Title: European elections 2024, tips for use
Author: Furio Oldani
Translation with ChatGPT
