Something odd. The EU is probably the part of the world which is most surrounded by peoples and individuals who try every possible means of crossing its borders, entering and staying, one way or another, legally or, more often, illegally. Every day, thousands of people risk drowning to get here. Vast swathes of the world ask for the EU's support. The countries on its borders dream of joining one day.
At the same time, however, the same EU is decried everywhere, but particularly from within. The number of scholarly and pretentious types preaching to it is extraordinary; explaining to the institutions of Brussels what they should be doing, whilst deriding what they actually do, has become a highly fashionable exercise. In this way, certain international figures, whose great prestige is no doubt entirely justified, have rushed to speak out against and, in some cases, insult the current European leaders.
The most arrogant... Out of all participants in this exercise currently trending, the most arrogant and pretentious I have been aware of is the famous French economist Thomas Piketty, author of the book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, a global success no doubt richly deserved. His opinion on the management and function of the EU is radical. Here are a few examples of the views he shared with the press. The President of the European Commission? “The biggest hypocrite is Jean-Claude Juncker, into whose hands the European Commission has been unconsciously placed (…). He pretends to be a hard man and mocks us with his 300 billion euro plan” (our translation throughout).
And this is what awaits us in the future, Mr Piketty went on: tensions within the EU have “reached a point at which, one way or another, they will explode in 2015, with three alternatives: a further crippling financial crisis; or the forces of the right wing will take over, or a political shock from the left”. His recipe for a balm is simple, but not especially original: moving away from austerity policy and applying runaway recovery measures, of which he provided the details. All of this seemed so obvious that the journalist who interviewed him entitled his piece: “The real danger to Europe is the hypocrisy of Mr Juncker and Mrs Merkel”. Well, at least that's clear.
... yet with undeniable merit. But I have no wish to deny the qualities and merits of Mr Piketty. The importance and significance of his book are clear even to a lowly commentator like me. Using statistics going all the way back to the 17th century, he explains that capital has accumulated at a faster pace than general economic growth; the wealth and welfare of a country (or group of countries) are quicker to benefit those in the field of finance than the other professional categories. Democratic regimes need to take this on board and in that regard, Europe is lagging behind.
Anybody who has read it will have grasped the importance of Mr Piketty's treatise, which supplies new elements for social justice and a better economic balance in the world. The fact that he turned down his Légion d'honneur is no big deal, although his explanation was less than diplomatic (“I do not believe that it is the role of the government to decide who is honourable”); the French press incidentally listed all of the individuals who have turned it down before him. The main things are his book and his future (he is just 43). His handful of unjustified, even ridiculous, comments about Mrs Merkel, the President of the European Commission and the EU in general just go to show how little is known and understood about the reality of the EU.
The Pope too... And let us not forget that when addressing the European Parliament in November of last year, the Pope also showed his total lack of understanding of Community affairs. Definitive peace between countries which caused the two world wars of the 20th century? The common management of the EU? Its role as the world's largest donor? Meaningless.
Changes to the lineup of the G7? Anybody, including those in the EU, who questions its significance and its importance, should bear in mind the fact that in just a few years' time, not a single EU country will have the wealth and scale needed to belong to the G7. Only the EU as a single entity will be eligible for membership; otherwise, Europe will no longer be one of the wealthiest and most powerful entities of the world. Not to put too fine a point on it, Europe would no longer exist in one of the fora which discusses the fate of the world. Only as the EU will Europe have a voice to make heard.
(FR)