Articles On Europe
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When does the Goal Justify the Means?
June 4, 2008
by EUD Webmaster
There are several starting perspectives in any debate over the EU – from the extremes of federalists and secessionists, to the more moderate views of euro philes on one hand, and euro skeptics on the other. Most of us live in moderate area and whether we agree or not with the idea of the EU, it is hard to deny its reality. The European Union exists and, with ups and downs, it has managed to safeguard trough never-ending negotiations, economic and political cooperation between countries that warred with each other for one millennium. A more practical approach to the EU would, perhaps, accent its existence and try to fix its shortcomings – and stop pushing for further, blind and uncontrolled integration/or refuse to take it into account no matter what.
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Lisbon treaty: EU democratic process in question
by Laurent Dauré,
French cinema critic
& Dominique Guillemin
French history teacher
On February 4, the French Parliament voted in the bill modifying title XV of the French Constitution in Versailles, and three days later, on February 7, the Treaty of Lisbon was formally ratified.
The Lisbon Treaty, which provides for the reform of the EU’s institutions, was drawn up to replace the draft European constitution, which was first rejected on May 29, 2005 by 55% of French voters and then on June 1, 2005 by 61% of Dutch voters.
How did we go from the voters’ refusals to the adoption of the text by Parliament in 2008?