74 ā€” village July - August 2012
Ā„Ɗƙīš›Ā®Ā¦Ć„
IT IS not only an economic crisis that is being
faced by Europe. Another economic treaty wonā€™t
resolve the issues. Itā€™s a crisis of democracy as
decision-making becomes technocratic, unre-
sponsive to popular demands and dominated by
the powerful states. Itā€™s a social crisis as inequal-
ity deepens, poverty becomes more widespread
and unemployment burgeons. Any debate on the
evolution of the European Union has to address
how best to re-discover a social and democratic
Europe.
An agenda for change is therefore needed that
goes beyond the economic. More particularly, this
agenda needs to be based on and tested against
the values of equality, environmental sustainabil-
ity, participation, accountability and social justice.
These values needs to shape the economic dimen-
sions of change.
Where is the political or public debate to build
this agenda? It is not evident in Ireland where
referenda have locked us into a for-or against
straightjacket without space to debate what we
are for or against. It is not evident at European
Union level either. We need to build an alterna-
tive agenda for Europe.
Please turn to page 76
Niall Crowley sought
three alternative
perspectives on the
future for a better
European Union.
Special on future of
European Union
A
Better
Europe