The European Parliament elections are now taking place. They couldn’t be happening at a worse time. There are wars close to home and elsewhere. The cycle of global warming continues. Temperatures are higher than ever. with associated catastrophes in the environment. The idea that increased world trade is a benefit to humanity has disappeared over the horizon.
So, what should the new Parliament do? In spite of the enormous number of members (720) in the Parliament, the number of problems faced by Europe and the world seems many times a multiple of that. Also, many of the problems are interrelated. Also, the European Parliament is not supreme, it shares power with the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, and ultimately the European Court of Justice. So how can anything get done? We haven’t mentioned the number of languages used, the divisive politics in many member states, and the very fluid groupings in the parliament as a result.
But let’s make a heroic simplification. The immediate problems are awful, but the problems on the horizon are much much worse. The external pressures, especially in terms of migration, have to be addressed. Not only by short term measures but through the realisation that the long-term pressures will be enormously bigger. Climate change is going to bring about staggering pressures in the movement of peoples, both within Europe and from outside. So more has to be done to slow climate change, and that means a centrally-led, well-funded accelerated switch to the green economy This will have to include elimination of obstacles and red tape that are slowing down the transition. This is a huge job that will take time, beyond the life of the present parliament.
Much more, in fact much much more, will also have to be done outside Europe. We have to help other parts of the world also to be better places to live. Especially in Africa, where the number of people who want to move is growing, the governmental capacity is weak in many cases, and the environment is most vulnerable to climate change. Again, much more central, targeted control of European action is needed, and there are no overnight solutions. And it’s going to take more years.
Internally, the biggest threat to Europe is not right wingers and racists, but the weakness of the rest of us in confronting them and the absence of any passionate support for the European institutions among ordinary people. Why is this? How can popular support for Europe and its plans be mobilised? The key deficit is not communication as such.
The real missing item is the lack of attention to the thing that characterises every individual in Europe, every one of the 450 million people whom we are trying to unify. They are all consumers, and their needs as consumers are neglected at European level. The real success story of the single market is the benefits it has brought to business. As of now, there isn’t a European single market for consumers, especially in areas such as financial services, health, education, digital government and consumer information and redress. To solve this, there will be a need for new regulatory structures and even for treaty change. A big ask. More years are needed .
The priority for Europe should be Europe. The ideas of European unity must continue to be promoted, especially since they’re under threat. The best way to do this is to show that the EU is useful and that it’s thinking ahead.