wimar, netherlands

Wimar, 20, is a second year student in public administration and psychology in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Question: What comes to your mind when you think about the EU?
Wimar: Obviously the failed the referendum. I was in favour of it. The situation is quiet interesting now and I wonder how they�re going to solve the problem. Anyway, if there�s another referendum it could only lead to a new disaster.

Question: How has this issue been dealt with in the media? Was there a debate?
Wimar: Well, I don�t think it�s a fair debate because those who were against the�how was it called�constitutional treaty, they can always rely on powerful arguments relying on fear. I think that besides the media it is foremost the role of government to make sure that people follow it. In my view the problem is that government doesn�t have a good idea of what people think, so that they don�t really know what to react on, and how to present the issue.

Question: What fears do you think are the most prevailing among your people?
Wimar: The biggest one is certainly the one related to our identity.

Question: What is your people�s present state of mind on the EU?
Wimar: Well, people appreciated that there was a referendum. However, as I see it, it is rather used to punish or reward government in such way that people don�t really focus on the question at hand.

Question: What about a second referendum? In the past, Irish and Danish people changed their mind�
Wimar: No way! It could maybe have a positive outcome if there was a new government in charge, with a new legitimacy and people�s focus on the question�

Question: If you read the national press, how do you perceive the relationship between The Netherlands and countries like France and Germany?
Wimar: I read it regularly�Well�I think that we cannot expect to play a big role at 27. And the fact that there are big member states is precisely a fact, independently of the EU�

Question: Do you know how the EU works? For instance, how many policy-making procedures do you think exist?
Wimar: Well, I think I know more or less how it works�

Question: If you compare with the standard procedures at national level?
Wimar: I don�t know, I would say that there are about four: Commission, Parliament, Council, and also the Prime Ministers can initiate legislation, so why not four�

Question: The constitutional Convention identified about thirty procedures on the basis of the decision-making rules in the Council, the nature of the EP�s involvement, and the status of the consultative bodies�If I told you that 70% of the new laws in your country come from Brussels how would you react?
Wimar: I don�t mind�I think they already fit with the existing legislation.

Question: According to you, what should the EU focus on?
Wimar: I think it has to focus on its legitimation�

Question: What do you think does the EU do on information, or communication? Have you heard of any policy in this sense?
Wimar: What�s a communication policy? Here the government issues a so-called �staatsblad�, a magazine in which you�re supposed to find explanations on the laws. But still, it remains difficult to access to it I think, you cannot buy it at the news agency. How does the EU do that? I have no clue�I�ve never heard about that�Maybe it would be a good idea to launch a EU official TV channel. You know, a bit like BBC World (laughs).

Question: Would you like the EU to become a federal state?
Wimar: It�s already a kind of� (hesitation).

Question: According to you what makes it more or less a federal state?
Wimar: I don�t know precisely. I think it�s might already be one, and it is not smart to reveal it to people.

Question: Which of the confederation or federation picture do you think fits best to the EU?
Wimar: Maybe the confederation�

Question: What would be your worst idea about the EU?
Wimar: To lose our nationality! To become all �Europeans�.

Question: What about those who promote such a perspective? What do you think about them?
Wimar: It doesn�t make sense to me. I don�t understand how one can make projections on a super state in the future. If nationalism is a problem, what�s the point of creating a new one at an upper level?

Question: What about a European army? Sounds nice? How should such a thing be organized?
Wimar: It would necessarily have to be centralised, no? But I don�t think can turn all the armies to one boot camp at once.

Question: Where do you locate NATO in this context?
Wimar: Obviously NATO would have to be replaced; there would be an open competition otherwise�

Question: What about the role of your national Parliament? Does it have its role? Is it being by-passed in some fields?
Wimar: I think the Commission and the EP can see the whole picture. We have to work together. If there�s to much power to individual member state you cannot accomplish anything. I don�t think it is being dispossessed because most of the law is already established. I think the best idea is to work on soft law, informal procedures as you told me�

Question: Is there a limit to the development of the EU? Where?
Wimar: The limit is reached whenever there are too many member states, consensus becomes impossible.

Question: So as a solution, can we then propose more and more majority voting?
Wimar: Probably we would have to go in this sense�

Question: What do you think about the rhythm of the construction?
Wimar: I don�t know if it�s going too fast or too slow. The thing is that we have to manage it in some way at 27! We cannot grow indefinitely like that�

Question: Coming back to the information on the EU, you think there should be more information right? Do you think that people understand the EU much less than they understand their national institutions or is the gap actually of a more general kind?
Wimar: I think that the European institutions are quite similar to our institutions but it doesn�t help anyway and people don�t understand what�s going on here either, so why would they bother trying to understand the EU?

Question: Let�s talk about money: what about a European tax?
Wimar: Why not, but then something has to be given in exchange as it theoretically works with taxes. How can we imagine that in a context where the EU cannot make itself understood?

Question: Is the EU too bureaucratic?
Wimar: It�s a bureaucracy indeed�I think this duplication of the seats of�is it parliament? Is absolutely ridiculous, it�s a waste of money and the euro sceptics will always fight back with such aberrations. Though I can understand the historical or whatever symbolic reasons, I think it�s not very smart and due to the context it might be time to reconsider it. That�s against the idea of union I think.

Question: Do you think more politicisation could help? What about turning the Commission into an executive reflecting the parliamentary strength?
Wimar: I thought it was already the case!? How does it work? (explanations). Well, I don�t think a majoritarian executive would be a good deal, I rather believe in proportionality� Also, as long a country has no majority for itself.

Question: What sounds better, Europe as one entity in the world or strong states who cooperate together?
Wimar: What are strong states?

Question: Is Europe part of the problem or of the solution?
Wimar: I think it can be seen as a fair solution�

Question: Is the EU democratic enough?
Wimar: Yes, for me the criterion is that it has proportional representation and reflects the member state�s rights.

Question: Should there be a common language in the EU?
Wimar: No! (laughs) not even Esperanto�maybe English as second language�