georgette, france

In Paris, Anaïs Camus met Georgette, a 88 years old retired. Georgette
spends her days gardening, playing bridge with friends and enjoying her
children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren...

Question: What comes to mind when I say ‘European Union’?

Georgette: I think about the future and I hope it will be good with Europe.

Question: At the moment, what opinion do you think the people have of the EU?

Georgette: They don’t know about the EU. If the people were better informed the debates and the referendum on the Constitution would have had different results.

Question: What fears do your people have of the EU?

Georgette: They fear that too many countries will join the EU. Especially countries with completely different cultures that are not compatible with ours, like Turkey for instance.

Question: How is the relationship between your country and bigger countries like Germany and the UK? And what do you think about it?

Georgette: I think that France has a good relationship with Germany and I’m happy about it. Indeed, I think we have the same way of life, more than with the UK. We should organize more cooperation with Germany; our peoples should learn to do business and to have exchanges of all kinds more often.

Question: What would be your worst idea about the EU?

Georgette: That it never stops growing and that it includes countries that are too different from France.

Question: Do you know how the EU works?

Georgette: Not at all. I’ve heard about a new book about the functioning of the EU though. I think I am going to read it since people told me that it was well written and that it helps in understanding the EU.

Question: If I told you that about 70% of the new laws in your country come from Brussels would that be ok for you?

Georgette: I wouldn’t mind if I knew that prior discussions had been held between my representatives and those in charge of making the final decision. I think that a majority is enough to make the decision. In other words, if the majority of a country agrees on something, the others should follow, and that is also valid regarding the Constitution. However, if decisions are taken without any discussions I think this is bad. Citizens must be included in the debate, so their national representatives are actually representing them.

Question: Keeping the last questions in mind, what do you think about the role of your national parliament?

Georgette: As I said, it would be unfortunate if our representatives were left out of the debate.

Question: Do you think there should be more information about how the European institutional system works?

Georgette: I would be in favour. Indeed, I don’t think that one can decide or judge the EU without knowing more about it. Before the referendum on the Constitution, I thought that we should have been given more information on how the EU works, what would the Constitution change, etc. My mailbox is full of useless commercial ads everyday and I would be happier if these ads were actually replaced by useful information about the EU!

Question: According to you, what should the EU focus on? And why the EU should itself deal with it?

Georgette: I think that the EU should concentrate on the relations between the member states. It should make sure that every country feels at ease and well represented. It should also promote exchange and discussion between the states.

Question: Do you think that it is important to have, on the international scene, a Europe as one entity in the world or do you think it's better to have strong States who cooperate together?

Georgette: I think that one Europe united is stronger than twenty seven countries on their own, no matter their individual weight on the international scene.

Question: Would you like the EU to become a federal State?

Georgette: I know I don’t want to lose my French identity. However, as long as the development of the EU is compatible with this desire, I don’t see it as a problem.

Question: What about a European army?

Georgette: I don’t know and I don’t really care.

Question: Should there be a common language in the EU?

Georgette: Yes. I think we should invent a new one though. Back in the day we had the Esperanto… I started to learn it but I guess that people were not ready for it and the whole idea just lost its appeal. But, I would do it again, with no hesitations. 

Question: Do you believe that there is a limit to the development of the EU? If yes, how to know where that limit is?

Georgette: Yes, there is a limit and it is its size. Indeed, if there were too many countries, the EU would turn into a monstrous entity that would not be able to take everyone into consideration. And it is important that we can understand each other.

Question: Do you think this is worth the adventure? Do you think the whole development is too fast?

Georgette: It is going too fast and I’m afraid we’ll lose people on the way. We have to wait for everyone to be ready to be part of a pan-European Community. However, it is worth it. I think people need the EU to feel stronger. This need is less important for me given my age but I feel it is important for my children…

Question: One says that you tend not to care about something as long as it’s not related to money. Do you think that setting up a European tax would raise the people's interest in the EU or it would only be another step towards a United States of Europe-like structure?

Georgette: I don’t know. I don’t think a tax would change something. Indeed, if you didn’t know where the money went you wouldn’t change your opinion about the EU. So, the tax should be accompanied by an explanation about its use and its outcomes.

Question: According to you, is the EU too bureaucratic?

Georgette: I don’t know how it works so I cannot say if it is too bureaucratic or not. However, I guess that if it stays close to its citizens’ needs, then it is not too bureaucratic.

Question: Would you say that the EU is democratic?

Georgette: I hope it is. I guess that as long as it takes into consideration many viewpoints, it must be democratic somehow.

Question: Last, but not least, what is the impact of the EU on your daily life?

Georgette: Happiness. You know I went through World War II and for me the EU has been a relief. It has been an insurance that this kind of war won’t happen again. I sent my son to Germany as soon as he was old enough to travel alone, and my husband insisted he learnt German so that he would feel close to the German people. It was important that the French people and the German people overcame their differences and the EU helped in that matter.