Was the European Union a Good Idea or Should all take the GB path?

This is the question nowadays, and part of the reason is that some people feel strongly disconnected to the E.U, while others praise its achievements. All things considered. Is its existence good or bad for Europeans?.

Remember that the U.K is leaving the E.U, so I think we better treat it like if it's no longer part of the club (well, I think it was always like that, remember that they kept the Pound as national currency). The E.U is the combination of 27 countries and has a population of a little more than 508 million people, making it the third most populous country in the world and in case that you wonder, followed by the United States in 4th place (327 million people). It's the world's second-largest economy by GDP (approx. 17 trillion dollars) and has the biggest single market in the world. But this was not the original idea of the creation of the E.U, the original purpose was "peace". Europeans are really good at war, so they have been involved in bloody conflicts for basically all their history (the list is huge but, click this link to check out the most important since 1450). From all that hate, it is remarkable the one-century long rivalry between Germany and France that has cost millions of lives and ran so deeply that the Germans invented a word for that, that is "Erbfeindschaft" which can be translated as "enmity". So, after WWII, Europeans decided that they wanted lasting peace that is not based on a balance of military power, instead, the economies, the politics and all the people of Europe should become so closely integrated and interconnected, that war would become unthinkable and unpractical, and it worked, between Euro members we'd had over seventy years of peace.

Yeah, peace is great but, is that all? is peace the only achievement of the European Union?, clearly not, look, today, many citizens benefit from several individual freedoms, treaties, and regulations to ensure easy traveling between countries, cheap phone communications, an awesome variety of food and services, as well as very strong health and safety standards.

Europe is not afraid to pick a fight with any industrial giant, (Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, and much more) in regards tax evasion, data protection or fair competition.

Talking about the E.U science program, the European Union became a collaborative engine that works as a hub of science in the wider world, unrestricted travel and the possibility to work anywhere in the continent, makes it easy to apply for funds and to set up an international team of experts with the best equipment possible. In turn, the European Union became the world's leader in terms of its global share of science, that makes more than 34% of the world's research output, that is very impressive especially if you think that all that knowledge comes from only 5% of its population.

Despite all of the above, more than a few citizens feel distrust toward the E.U, Brussels seems far away, untransparent and technocratic and somehow difficult to understand. To make things even worse, the E.U is terrible at outreach and explaining what it actually does. This is leading to an ever-shrinking voter turnout over the decades. The E.U is in desperate need of more transparency and accountability, that is if it wants more institutional trust on behalf of their citizens.

Currently, the EU is still shaking from the refugee crisis of 2015, some countries have accepted far greater numbers of asylum seekers than others, while the border countries are overwhelmed and feel like they were left alone in this terrible situation. Other countries a shocked by the initially unregulated mass migration, therefore closing their borders, effectively shutting down the largest route into Europe.

Due to E.U's freedom and wealth, people think of it as an attractive destination and this is not about to change, but the population is split on how to react to that. Some people argue that Europe is letting in too many immigrants with different culture without strictly demanding integration, while others think that immigration is not the problem, but the racism and discrimination of immigrants are preventing integration.

To strike a balance between helping refugees turning illegal immigrants away and integrating the ones that stay is nowadays the most difficult challenge that the Union faces. 

Immigration aside, several more challenges lie in the future, such as defense. It is a tradition that the European countries had relied strongly on the protection of the United States of America through NATO. But in today's political climate, Europe has to ask itself if it really wants to depend in such a great manner on the USA for its safety. 

If combined today, militaries of the European Union could form an effective defensive force and be the third largest military in the world. I know this is a sexy topic, let's take a moment to check the E.U military forces and the top 4 most powerful military forces on the planet.

What About Money?

Well, as you could probably think, this is a very complicated issue. The E.U created the largest single market in the world, inside of it, you can trade border and customs free, countries that entered the European Union got a massive boost on their economies, even between neighbors, trade increased by one hundred percent, and there was a steady creation of new jobs. Research has suggested that joining the European Union has left most of its members with an average of a 12% higher GDP than if they had remained outside and for those regions with weaker economies and poor infrastructure, E.E institutions provide billions of Euros every year helping economic investments, infrastructure, and social development.

But there is a negative side, that is because the E.U tries to hold together countries that with vastly different economies and laws regarding labor, social security, taxes, etc. The cost of one hour work in an E.U country ranges from 4 Euros to 40 Euros, some countries have large industries and strong exports, while others focus on services, tourism, or natural resources. On top of this, the Euro is the common currency of most but not all these countries.

As the Greek crisis shows, this can be a recipe for disaster because you can't unify vastly different economies under one currency, but keep their economy policies separated, that is because if something really bad happens (2008 world economic crisis) weaker economies cannot depreciate their currencies and make their products and services be perceived as cheaper to the eyes of other stronger countries (potential buyers), this way, getting their economies into the path of economic recovery. This among other irresponsible decisions got the Greek economy broke in a few months.

I think the question is: Should all European Union countries unite under the common currency, or not?. Should the weakest links of the chain be thrown out of the Euro, or should countries be made to adopt common policies on taxes, healthcare, and social security?. This question has been brewing for years now and it is nowhere near a suitable solution.

So all things considered. Is the European Union a good idea, or should every country follow the UK path?. Well, I think that the E.U is very flawed, and still needs a lot of work and refinement, but it is very fair to say that the E.U makes Europeans a solid and powerful figure in the world, remember that they lead the path of science, through extensive investments in research and development, plus they are one of the strongest economic and military power in the world, but more importantly, the European Union gives Europeans peace, security, and a sense of shared identity, and something very important to humans in theses turbulent times, stability. I think that if Europeans want to protect the values that they are so proud of, a strong European Union is the way to go so they can make sure that their voices are heard throughout the world. If the E.U breaks apart, all its countries as small states will hardly stand a chance in a world of shifting superpowers (USA, China, Russia or even India).

If you don't agree with me, that's fine, you just have a different opinion, in the words of Evelyn Beatrice Hall (English writer-Voltaire's Biographer, Known as S. G. Tallentyre): "I do not agree with what you have said, but I'd defend to the death your right to say it" 

Cheers Friends,