Joint Citizens Forces – Common European Future
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Slovenian Paneuropean Movement Slovenian Paneuropean Movement JOINT CITIZENS FORCES – COMMON EUROPEAN FUTURE I n n e c essa riis uni t a s, i n dub iis liber t a s, i n omn i bus c arit as. Dejan Hribar (ed.) JOINT CITIZENS FORCES – COMMON EUROPEAN FUTURE Title: Joint Citizens Forces – Common European Future Editor: Dejan Hribar Proofreading: Aleš Lampe Design: Miša Gorjup Publisher: Slovensko panevropsko gibanje, Cesta v prod 90, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia www.panevropa.si | http://jocicef.panevropa.si/index.php/sl/e-publication Ljubljana, May 2019 Co-founded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union With the support of the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the content, which reflects the views of the authors only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The content of the articles also does not necessarily reflect the positions or opinion of the Slovenian Paneuropean Movement or the editor, who cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Kataložni zapis o publikaciji (CIP) pripravili v Narodni in univerzitetni knjižnici v Ljubljani COBISS.SI-ID=300529408 ISBN 978-961-90892-6-2 (pdf) JOINT CITIZENS FORCES – COMMON EUROPEAN FUTURE Slovenian Paneuropean Movement INTRODUCTION Laris Gaiser, President of the Slovenian Paneuropean Movement E-mail: [email protected] The Slovenian Paneuropean Movement and its partners have successfully concluded the JOCIC- EF project, co-funded by the Europe for Citizens Programme of the European Union. During the project lifetime, from 1 September 2017 to 28 February 2019, we managed to involve over 600 citizens from 29 countries in discussions about the future of Europe and how Euroscepticism can affect it. With distinguished guest speakers, ranging from local, regional, national and EU decision makers, experts from think tanks, the academia, civil society organisations, foundations and others, we thoroughly addressed some key challenges that the EU has been facing for years: the causes behind the rise of Euroscepticism, the spread of populisms and political parties on the extreme left and right, mistrust in European institutions, citizens’ involvement in the policy-mak- ing process, and the proposed scenarios for the future development of the EU. This project served as a starting point for further cooperation among partners and with other organisations, since many of them expressed a sincere wish to continue working with us. We came to a conclusion that the EU needs more than ever a strong support for its policies within the civil society, since we are aware of the fact that there is only one future for us: a common Europe. We hope and believe that this monograph will add another stone in the mosaic of understanding EU politics and the EU policy-making process, as well as bringing citizens closer to each other and encouraging them to think about what European future they would like to live in. The authors of the articles collected in this monograph shared their views on issues stretching from the future of Europe, Euroscepticism and citizenship to security and the EU in the world. This is also the logic of how the articles appear in this book. The EU is a living thing. The bloc is still in a deep political crisis. The aftermath of the migration crisis, Brexit, and the Catalan crisis show that we are still far from being a stable community, with a clear path ahead. The EU is still facing a sort of disorientation, and consequently it is our duty to answer this confusion. In order to encourage reflection on the role of the European Union and spur discussion on its development, the European Commission commendably delivered on 1 March 2017 a White Paper presenting five possible scenarios for the future, which range from reducing the Union to a single market and all the way to strengthened integration. As I said on 15 June 2017 in the Slovenian National Assembly, none of these scenarios will likely be realised. In the end, the real world will force all the members to realise a sixth scenario. Although we understand the White Paper as an intellectual tool aiming to spur general debate, the Commission regretta- bly made no reference to any option of regional cooperation or need to expand the understand- ing of the subsidiarity principle. Top EU institutions lead the debate towards scenarios centred on what member states want, treating citizens as a second-tier issue. In fact, citizens have been excluded from the debate on the future of Europe from the very beginning, despite the aim of the debate to “advance our project in the interests of our citizens”. The latest geopolitical shocks that destabilised the Union have provoked a full comeback of sovereign states. The Maastricht Trea- ty’s ambitious vision of a Europe of regions based on real subsidiarity, closer to citizens, is disap- pearing. Institutional reconfiguration has failed. But the Brexit issue and the Catalan crisis are here to tell us that something is not working. The European Union is not performing as people would wish because people will believe and support a higher structure only if it guarantees real freedom and democracy. In many countries, institutions, the rule of law, financial systems and the judiciary are not working properly—they are still controlled by closed elites that run the states, perpetuating their own interests. Facade democracies that do not allow real political alternatives are the cancer of the EU. Due to the international, fluid environment, the future could bring a contradiction that should be properly addressed: disaggregating states within a unifying European Union. In order to survive as a relevant international player, the EU has to find its own path. The European Union is intimately linked to the North Atlantic security system. Should it one day disintegrate, Europe would have to walk alone without falling back into its own historical dramas. Such a hypothesis is unachievable today. We are weak in many areas. We cannot stand alone, but the Union cannot be merely a cockpit in a tower of Babel. A lasting European way is still to be found because our own survival is at stake. The Slovenian Paneuropean Movement has always been committed to bringing together the brightest minds from around Europe, without limitation to particular political preconceptions, in order to constructively criticise the powers that be, to brainstorm, to deliver proposals and support solutions. We took part in the founding of the International Paneuropean Union in Vienna in 1926, and start- ed our activities within the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Ninety-three years ago! The Nazi and communist regimes froze our ambitions but could not destroy our will. Thanks to the vision and the personal engagement of some of our members, the Slovenian Paneuropean Movement was re-established 27 years ago in Bled in the presence of the President of the Inter- national Paneuropean Union, Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen. Today our organisation is not only alive, but is in great shape! Our mission will continue also in the future, and our doors will remain open to everybody who shares our principles, without any political discrimination. We will contin- ue to shape new generations of open-minded future leaders and encourage public political debate, criticise politics and policies when needed and support them when deserved. Where someone has a vision, the purpose is a better world! Our humble purpose is and will remain to change and consequently to save the world. We must not disappoint our fellow citizens. We have to find solutions; it is our duty in this large community. As Churchill once said, we are often mocked by the failure of our hopes. However, it is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something. We proudly keep trying! Table of Contents ABOUT THE JOCICEF PROJECT ......................................................................... 7 Dejan Hribar ANALYSIS OF THE PROJECT SURVEY................................................................... 10 Dejan Hribar THE FUTURE OF EUROPE ................................................................................. 17 Bent Nørby Bonde THE FUTURE OF EUROPE: FEAR, ANGER, OR HOPE? LESSONS FROM COUDENHOVE-KALERGI & BREXIT ..................................................................... 23 Trineke Palm CITIZENSHIP IN A UNITED EUROPE: TANGIBLE REALITY OR MERE AGREEMENT? ................. 25 Adolfo Morganti EURPSCEPTICISM OR EUROREALISM: THE EU AND THE “MORE OR LESS OR NO EUROPE” DEBATE ................................................................................ 29 Massimo Balducci, Christiane Colinet and Giorgio Natalicchi THE CHALLENGE OF POPULIST PARTIES AT BOTH ENDS OF THE IDEOLOGICAL SPECTRUM ..........................................................................42 Andrés Santana THE COMMUNICATION DEFICIT: ANALYSIS ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION POLICY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ............................................. 49 Giacomo Morabito TROUBLED TIMES: A BRIEF APPRAISAL ON THE EU’S NEW INSTITUTIONAL INTERPLAY, ELITES, BREXIT, AND PESCO ............................................ 58 Luís Lobo-Fernandes ON SUBSIDIARITY ......................................................................................... 65 Laris Gaiser EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCE: THE DIFFERENCE