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| The 27 member states. |
Everywhere I turn, there are small reminders that my time in Hungary is winding down. Yesterday’s field excursion featured another guest speaker—our last guest speaker! The series of lectures definitely ended on a high note due to our discussion with Andras Baneth. Baneth has 10 years of experience in European Union institutions and policy-making and is a former Member of Cabinet for the European Commission. He is the author of “The Ultimate EU Test Book.” He is without a doubt an expert in all things EU.
Most of the people we have had the opportunity to meet with have discussed overlapping subjects; while always interesting, our talks have become somewhat redundant. I was surprised yesterday by how engaging, personable, witty, intelligent, and knowledgeable Baneth was (the above adjectives are necessary). He kept the background information short and sweet in regards to the EU—what he called a unique and “interesting animal.”
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| The member states must work together to get things done! |
It’s hard to understand the problems of the EU without understanding the relationship between the member states and the EU. The EU is an international economic and political organization between 27 coordinating and cooperating European nations. It is not the “United States of Europe,” which means that the member states prioritize keeping their independence and cultural sovereignty. This is the nature of many problems within the EU… there is no equivalent of a “federal system” like we have in the US that allows for supreme and overriding decisions. The history of Europe is largely a history of war, and the goal of the EU is to provide an arena for member states to make decisions on a table, not the battlefield. Issues arise when nations are forced to decide how/what areas of sovereignty to give up.
The interdependence of the member states was a major focal point of the discussion. I really liked that Baneth kept his talk so relevant in discussing major current events in focusing in on the Greek crisis (use this great website to learn more: here). We discussed the EU’s role, the euro zone and the worth of the euro, and Germany’s role. For his part, Baneth was totally candid and honest, again and again saying that the future seems “gloomy.” I like the idea of the euro zone, but in times like this, things get extremely complicated. What is the best solution?
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| Eurozone: a ticking time bomb? |
Even the world’s best thinkers struggle to find an answer to this question. The net-payers (rich and developed countries; i.e. Germany) are being asked to funnel money into Greek banks in order to save the euro, but should they have to? It seems that they have no choice, but herein we find the predicament of the EU itself. Interdependence forces everyone to sink or swim together. Are the benefits of membership to the EU worth it? In our discussion, we didn’t just skim the surface. We got to the very core of these issues and it was a really complex subject, but it was well addressed.
In other (ironic) news…I am going to Athens tomorrow. Should be interesting? Don’t worry about me, though. I’m sure that I am about to have the time of my life—it will be my first CouchSurfing experience!
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| Looking forward to lots of this! |
Live and Learn.
And for your musical enjoyment...
"Real Love" (John Lennon cover) - Regina Spektor
&&&
...another amazing female singer...
"Secret" - Missy Higgins
Mar! Long time since I've commented on your post so I figured it was over due.
ReplyDeleteAlways enjoy them, especially your use of music at the end. Love Regina!
But I also enjoyed your discussion of Mr. Baneth's presentation. I fully agree that this was a really good ending (even though sad it's coming to an end) to our field studies class lecture series. Some of the other presentations were definitely getting a little redundant but Mr. Baneth's honestly and relaxing personality brought a lot to the table for me too.
I really think that the answers to the questions you ask within your blog are going to take decades to answer. What is really the best solution? How do we decide? This kind of relates to what we were talking about in Kurk's class today - everyone with "the movement" or here, the EU, is saying different things but what is everyone honestly really saying or thinking? Ideas are constantly skewed or clouded. I've definitely learned that the world is a tough place from these field studies!
Overall, great post!
HERE WE COME ATHENS!
hi, its me you're crazy kook in crime.
ReplyDeleteSO.... great music choices! after my horrendous travel day, i've been listening to both of them while i do my readings for Kurk and let me tell you, oh how soothing. anyway- GREAT post.. but thats a given. The thing I liked about this entry so much was the focus of you analysis on interdependence because to me, that was the most fascinating point of Baneth's discussion. And its interesting how he compares the US to the EU and how key it is for the EU to work (interdependence) when it doesn't have a so called "federal system". I find it very cool to explore what works and what doesn't between the EU and the US. But the interdependence part was something that was deeply explored and I appreciated that in his talk. You say it perfectly: interdependence forces everyone to either sink or swim together. Well lets hope everyone keeps swimming.
Cant wait to leap upon you tomorrow, glad you loved my homeland! <3
Dear Mary,
ReplyDeleteHi mary it's Mike D from JSBP. overall this is a very strong post. You did well to cover all the major dissuasion points of the day. I especially like in the end how you questioned the validity of the EU, not just just for Greece, but on a whole. It is a very interesting question and one that must be asked when examining the system. Is it necessarily worth it for these big player members like Germany or the Scandinavian countries? I can't blame them for questioning it if they do. If everyone is sharing money, what happens when the money's gone? It cannot last forever. The EU needs a centralized governing body to keep track of the money, because more things like the Greek crisis will happen. Avarice is a powerful human vice.