In their contribution to the Schuman Report on Europe, " The State of the Union 2010 , Thierry Chopin (EHESS, Sciences Po) and Corinne Deloy (Secretary General Foundation for Political Innovation) suggest a number of proposals to strengthen the political space at the European level. Such proposals are useful in the formation of a true European political life, are welcome at a time when the EU has never been so unpopular, even though it has never been greater. We can discuss long time Europe's priorities: widening, deepening, simplification of decision-making ... but we evaded more the existential problem of Europe: its sovereignty .
Indeed, the European position is untenable: it has no sovereignty as she is and acts as a global player on the international scene and in negotiations multilateral. It is now clear that Europe has been built since 1951 is primarily a European law, a legal structure and ultimately very little political in the sense that it does not really have a policy to across Europe. And if there is not enough politics, because the democratization of the EU is largely unfinished.
If there is no real European political life, the sense of a unified European space policy, yet there European political trends. That is to say that the conduct of national political fall mostly in a broader political trend, across the continent. The current period in exemplary emerges clearly marked on the two trends across Europe: the dynamics of the center-right, and the rout of the Social Democrats.
For several years, the right dominates the political landscape of Europe and this situation has been affirmed in 2009-2010. The right is in power in 11 EU Member States, including Germany, France, Italy, and in recent weeks the British right is back to 10 Downing Street. In countries like Portugal, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, governed by the left, the right won the 2009 European elections.
The corollary is that the economic crisis has not benefited the Social Democrats, on the contrary. In Spain, the Zapatero government has never been so troubled. The British Labour, long symbols of the European left, just left the office. European elections of 2009, leftist parties won only 29.2% of the votes throughout Europe, their lowest score since 1979.
There actually rather few national characteristics in the relations of political forces in Europe . Despite the current political climate conducive to right the balance of power at European level is fairly stable - as shown by the distribution of seats in Parliament.
Yet despite these trends hemispheric policy, a European political life is not seen. Now more and more issues are European, and national electoral systems are not necessarily best suited for debate and provide answers. Above all, it is urgent and necessary to have a requirement democratization of the European Union : a European political space can not be satisfied with a functional legitimacy but will be supported on the popular vote.
If there is no real European political life, the sense of a unified European space policy, yet there European political trends. That is to say that the conduct of national political fall mostly in a broader political trend, across the continent. The current period in exemplary emerges clearly marked on the two trends across Europe: the dynamics of the center-right, and the rout of the Social Democrats.
For several years, the right dominates the political landscape of Europe and this situation has been affirmed in 2009-2010. The right is in power in 11 EU Member States, including Germany, France, Italy, and in recent weeks the British right is back to 10 Downing Street. In countries like Portugal, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, governed by the left, the right won the 2009 European elections.
The corollary is that the economic crisis has not benefited the Social Democrats, on the contrary. In Spain, the Zapatero government has never been so troubled. The British Labour, long symbols of the European left, just left the office. European elections of 2009, leftist parties won only 29.2% of the votes throughout Europe, their lowest score since 1979.
There actually rather few national characteristics in the relations of political forces in Europe . Despite the current political climate conducive to right the balance of power at European level is fairly stable - as shown by the distribution of seats in Parliament.
Yet despite these trends hemispheric policy, a European political life is not seen. Now more and more issues are European, and national electoral systems are not necessarily best suited for debate and provide answers. Above all, it is urgent and necessary to have a requirement democratization of the European Union : a European political space can not be satisfied with a functional legitimacy but will be supported on the popular vote.
The first proposal of Thierry Chopin and Corinne Deloy is developing a uniform voting system in all member states to the European Parliament elections . Today, there are as many voting systems that are Member States, yet as the authors point out, " a single electoral system for a single Assembly is the first premise of a democratic regime . An electoral system identical from one country to another would almost mechanical effect of enhancing the representativeness of the European Parliament, to build majorities and policies to foster the emergence of transnational parties.
is the issue of the second proposal: accelerate the development of real European political parties . The goal is to create a European political staff more easily identifiable by citizens, and profiles more "European" with a new generation of politicians multilingual and competent enough on European issues to attract media attention.
For example, the European People's Party (EPP, right) and the Party of European Socialists (PES, left) can not simply be just the combination of MPs in Parliament, but many political parties with a program, leaders, organization members and activists, with national chapters in each Member State. Currently, the divisions between the EPP and PES are unclear because both parties often have to deal with each other movements against the Eurosceptics or Europhobes Parliament so it is necessary to highlight and promote divisions within the Parliament European, to rekindle interest citizens in these elections. It is actually to develop a political offer without which the legitimacy of the institutions of the European Union, increasingly apolitical, will only erode over time.
The third proposal is to "push further politicization of European issues . European issues - the EU budget, political climate, direction of international policy issues of enlargement, the institutions - must be identified, publicized, with the resulting partisan choices for parties as for voters. However, European policy, very little "Clive", suffer from a lack of democratic protest in that there never really had an alternation that allows to change a European policy for another.
Europe suffers both from a democratic deficit and lack of policy. Establish a European political landscape thus meets the need for such urgency. Building a European sovereignty in international relations is first to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the European Union.
Europe suffers both from a democratic deficit and lack of policy. Establish a European political landscape thus meets the need for such urgency. Building a European sovereignty in international relations is first to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the European Union.
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