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.
Perhaps an approach such as this would have prevented the people of Europe to face with a dilemma such as the Lisbon Treaty. This particular piece of text is, above anything else, a paradox. It is a push for democratic reforms trough severely undemocratic means. By now, everyone is aware of how the ratification process was kept, mostly, far away from the hands of the citizens.
Euro philes might think that this resembles a grown man keeping a delicate object high in the air, out of the reach of the hands of children who might break it. But no matter the risk of a referendum vote being used in (internal) political ways – it is these children who are Europe, and not just the few elites who are keeping them in the dark.
The Lisbon Treaty is a compromise, but not between the views presented in the first paragraph. It compromises between those wanting even more integration and those who, despite wanting it too, fear that the patriots of nation states in the Union will never accept giving so much, so fast. It enhances the Union’s competence and scope first, and treats the needed democratic reforms as a secondary objective.
These reforms are sorely needed – so much that some in national governments see them necessary enough as to stay silent towards the manner of the ratification. The goal of implementing more control by the European Parliament and other such new parts of the Treaty seems to justify, for most, the means.
Does it? When you answer this question, whether for yourselves or for Europe, voting in Ireland, you need to forget the perspectives and think of the cold hard facts. Is democratic reform reachable trough undemocratic means? Europe exists and we need it, more or less, and what we need to do is to improve what already is in place. My hope is that no matter what happens with the Lisbon Treaty, the manner of its promotion will be a singular case. My fear- that even if it would be implemented and elected members of national and the European parliament will have more power, the stain that is the behind-the-scene ratification of this act will never go away and spread to other practices in the organisation.
History will tell, as it always does, what will come out of this – but perhaps if more would follow the example of the EUDemocrats and put aside their perspectives on the future of Europe and just work to improve what exists in the here and now, history will tell a better story this time.