A COUNTER-ATTACK ON THE EU

MIROSŁAW PIOTROWSKI

For the post-EU politicians and clerks, that is, the Euro-enthusiasts, the result of the presidential election in the USA was a shock. It can’t have happened – they said. Moreover, nobody had thought before that it was Great Britain which would be existing from the EU, so the result of the referendum about brexit and then the victory of Trump strengthened the emotional shock. It changed into fear of ‘Trumpism’. During the presidential campaign Donald Trump was praising the British decisions, expecting that other membership EU countries would follow the same path. What was shocking, was also an ideological pillar, that is, the so-called fight with the global warming.

No wonder that the next parliamentary election in Holland, a founding country of the Union, brought about a lot of emotions. Only after the failure of Gert Wilders, and later Marine Le Pen in France calmed the atmosphere. What raise fear the most was ‘Frexit’ that is, France exiting from the Union, which would be the same thing as they collapse of this organization. In political campaigns in Great Britain, Holland and France, there was a clear criticism of the European Union, which had been attacked suddenly like a suddenly banged drum.

At present, after Nigel Farage resigned, having decided that his mission had finished, the failure of Marine Le Pen and resignation of Frauke Petry (personal matters) from leadership of AfD in Germany, and also lack of a spectacular success of Theresa May in the election in Great Britain, the Euro-enthusiasts are beginning a counter-attack. Instead of a deep reflection concerning the condition of the Union and analysis and making conclusions from the enormous increase of citizens’ reluctance to stricter integration and presenting sensible suggestions of changes, are going to achieve what has raised most opposition so far.

The European Commission is beginning procedures of breaches towards countries refusing their participation in relocation of refugees (in fact, migrants), returning to frightening others with fines and reducing EU grants, for example, structural funds. It starts a project of building the central European Prosecution’s Office which would supervise EU funds and fight abuses with operational methods (one’s surveillance, wiretapping). It also announces to build the common European Army. There are also plans to persuade or force as big number of EU countries as possible to accept euro, and those who are complaining about it, are threatened with being excluded from the main stream. The division of the EU budget is announced, a separate for the countries which accepted euro and a separate one for those which remained with their national currencies. There are also plans to establish two separate European Parliaments and a small European super-government (the idea of Guy Verhofstadt). In order to achieve a quicker and stricter integration, there are also talks on changing treaties. The countries are positioned in the same way as Jacek Kaczmarski sang in the song ‘This one with us! This one against us! Who is on his own, is our worst enemy! And the singer was also alone’. The voice of Euro-sceptic tenors has clearly faded in the European Union. However, it does not mean that the counter-attack on the Union must be successful.

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„Niedziela” 26/2017

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl