We are building our future out of our past

Our future is more important than our past but it requires that we know our past if we are to build a good future.

Take democracy seriously, or you don't deserve it

The turnout in the European elections was the lowest in the history of the parliament.

Thousands of grassroot activists around Europe was working very hard to turn the negative turnout in the European elections in to a positive, but it didn't give the result that Europe needed.
Their work wasn't only about convincing Europeans to vote, but also to advocate for a better and more democratic Europe.
The small steps that was taken for a better democracy, with the presidential candidates wasn't enough and media across Europe didn't help to promote the democratic development and definitely not the hard work of the pan-european grassroots movement for democracy.
Without naming any names, the national leaders of Europe have a huge responsibility for the low turnout. We must let them know that!

The consequences of the election results, including the low turnout are the so called success of the far-right populists. How this will effect EU policy in the comming years is uncertain, but it will most likely effect the results in comming national elections and give more air under the wings of leaders such as Victor Orban.

And finally, if we the people don't take democracy more seriously, we don't deserve it.

We are Europe

We can't option ​​out of Europe without deselecting large parts of ourselves. Europe are in many ways just as integrated as most of its member states are, in terms of culture, trade, economy, science and higher education.

Something we rarely think about when we are talking about European integration is that its not comprehensive or complete in any political, cultural or geographicall area.
European integration "in deversity" is best illustrated as a quilt or as number of rings that are more or less integrated in each other.

European integration is much older then our union and much older than our nation states.
The democratic integration, however, is a creation during the postwar period with the aim to pick up where nationalism and the nation state failed, to bring Europe stability and a peaceful development.

The aim of European integration has never been to create a homogeneous Europe where regional and local cultural differences are blurred or weakened, but to strengthen diversity through democratic collaboration. It has influences of cultural federalism, which is in direct contrast to the goal with the nation-state, a culturally homogeneous society witch is organizational characterized by central government, replacing local and regional self-governance.

Nation states set limits and build walls for culture, commerce and people in Europe. Nationalism created more organized unrest and division in Europe than there ever was before. Sadley the nation-state quest lives on in Europe and even within our Union, where we see how nationalism acts against bringing down walls and barriers for culture, commerce and people.

What if the borders and walls are built again? We can only learn from the past, walls do not create stability and peace!

The most important election this century

This May it is time for Europeans to go to the polls in an election that in many respects is special and maybe even critical to Europe's democratic future.
For the first time , the voters have the opportunity to directly influence who will become the European Commission's next president. This is done by the major party groups in the EP in advance nominated its candidate for the presidency, which roughly means that the post-election largest party group's candidate becomes the next Commission president.

It is a commendable initiative to strengthen European level democracy by the EU party groups and to give the Commission greater legitimacy among the European citizens without any major reforms that would require new treaties between the national governments.

There is allot more to be desired when it comes to democratic reform of the EU but it is above or "below" the powers of the Parliament. It is in the hands of our national governments and parliaments. 
Unfortunately, the resistance at national level about giving more power to the voters over European politics are great.

Parliament elections in May, however have a great potential to bring democracy much needed focus and put it on the agenda for future national elections in Europe.

Fort Europa

Fort Europa is the biggest shame of modern Europe and of our civilized union. Fort Europa is there to keep the desperate and needy out and it works, but with a great cost of human lives and european values.
I suggest that we reinvent Fort Europa in to something that will benefit us all, both EU citizens and those looking for a safe harbour. Fort Europa should be and must be the safe haven for democracy, human rights and solidarity protected by a European constitution.

Euro skeptics and nationalists have air under the their wings

Euro skeptics and nationalists have gotten plenty of air under the their wings during the current global economic crisis. Criticism against the euro and the political battering on how to handle the crisis has rightly been very strong. Unfortunately, skeptics and nationalists failed to produce any concrete solutions to the proven weaknesses of Europe, but rather demanded that Europe once again be isolated behind nationalist walls. Unfortunately, the media have often uncritically blown air under the wings of nationalism during this crisis which in itself deepened the crisis and hampered the recovery. Above all, the political crisis in Europe has been affected.

What should be of interest in the media are the forces that did present and campaigned for various economic , but above all political solutions to the crisis.
Organised federalists and engaged citizens presented, through various initiatives proposals for reform and dared to debate them in various forums. Their work has had a major impact on social media and on the streets around Europe while traditional media focused almost exclusively on reactionary and doomsday prophecies, giving nationalists and sceptics a much bigger media coverage then their popular mandate.
A consequence of this is that the established politicians and parties did not and do not dare to lead the public debate, which in itself strengthens the democratic deficit in our current Union.
There is an urgent need to critically study the structure and policies of the EU if we are to emerge from the crisis and build a Europe that we want to leave to coming generations.

Our strength lies in our goals and our arguments

You can not measure what the European union has meant for Europe's democratic and economic development in the postwar period. 
From the historic turmoil in Europe, no one can imagine a Europe without the ambition to unify the European pot of historic good and evil and create a stable Europe for its people.. 

The Union has built a foundation which rests on its citizens. It is now up to us to build on this foundation and create a democratic and stable Europe, that not only Europe needs but the globalised world 
needs. We don't have a easy journey ahead of us, the resistance is established and sometimes economically strong, but our strength lies in our goals and our arguments. 
European Parliament is sadly not the institution that determines our future, it is up to EUCO and our national governments, but the elections in 2014 to the European Parliament is without a doubt the best tool in the near future to set the agenda for our struggle for a better and a more democratic Europe. We must therefore gather all our strength and courage to take the debate whenever the opportunity is given.

With democracy we shall win more democracy!  

Euromaidan

EuroMaidan is a great and a very needed inspiration to all Europeans and to our everlasting struggle for unity and democracy in Europe. We stand together in our struggle to always better Europe and against all attempts to weaken the people, our unity and our democracy. Thank you!

European identity

European identity is just as real and authentic as any local or regional identity in Europe.

" United in Diversity" sums it up pretty well, but I'll try to describe, according to me what is our European identity.

It's hard to find a place on earth where all or even a majority's of the people share a general identity. I think you must search in isolated tribes of indigenous people to even come close.

In most democratic parts of the world, just like in Europe, countless identities coexist with each other, locally, nationally and in larger unity's. They are cultural, political, religious and even academic identity's. Its not always without conflict but still in coexistence and with different levels of integration among themselves.

The European identity is found in and around us. Not least culturally where local and regional identity's are clear and strong on there own but just as clearly intertwined with other local and regional identities. It is equally evident in the political struggles that's been played out in Europe, where we currently, without taking something for granted can say that democracy and freedom have taken the longest straw across the continent. I don't stick my neck out by saying that no fight, no struggle and no victory for democracy has happened separately from others in Europe.

Europe has been the centre of two world wars, the Cold War and that's only in the last 100 years. Europe is also the place where the industrial revolution took off and changed conditions drastically. Religion had its borderless fights for century's. In all this, Europeans has for more than 1000 years intertwined in social, cultural and economic enterprises that shaped and developed Europe.

Many women and men from all over Europe have fought and sacrificed there life and limb for liberty and peace so that Europe would achieve what Europe is today.

It is not possible to hide from our European heritage and identity, just as we cant forget the traditions of the community that we where born in. If we do, we do nothing but lie to ourself and our children.

Öppet brev till ordförande för Europeiska kommissionen, ordföranden för Europeiska rådet och ordföranden för Europaparlamentet. (Swedish translation)

Öppet brev till ordförande för Europeiska kommissionen, ordföranden för Europeiska rådet och ordföranden för Europaparlamentet 

José Manuel Barroso, Herman van Rompuy, Martin Schulz

Vi är djupt oroade över Europas framtid.

Den pågående politiska, sociala och ekonomiska krisen hotar att återigen dela upp kontinenten. Misslyckandet med att effektivt hantera krisen har skapat en stor misstro mot unionens institutioner bland sina egna medborgare. Populism och nationalism är på uppgång i alla medlemmsstater och i kölvattnet av krisen finns starka politiska krafter som öppet förespråkar en upplösning av vår union. Detta är en mycket farlig utveckling! Krisen har också lett till skapandet av ett antal organisationer bestående av engagerade medborgare som förespråkar ett mer demokratiskt, starkare och solidariskt Europa. Dessa organisationer och individer tar olika initiativ och skapar forum för debatt, information och kampanjer för att öka medborgarnas deltagande i uppbyggnaden av det framtida Europa.

Vi är alla mycket stolta över vad EU har åstadkommit under de senaste 60 åren men vi ser också att det mellanstatliga systemet inte längre kan möta utmaningarna i det moderna Europa. Detta system har också en top down-strategi som skapar en stor klyfta mellan ledare och medborgare. Vi söker efter alternativ till detta system. Vi söker delaktighet, demokrati och ansvarsutkrävande. Det demokratiska underskottet kan inte längre tolereras.

Krisen har gjort det mycket klart att om vi ska rädda Europa måste vi bygga om och reformera EU, inte bara ekonomiskt utan även socialt och politiskt. Vi står vid ett vägskäl där vägen vi väljer kommer att påverka många generationer framöver. Detta är utan tvekan den största utmaningen som det enade Europa har mött.

Europa går mot en federation eller en upplösning. Ett uppbrott skulle sannolikt flytta Europa mot en ny era av divisioner och kriser som ingen av oss vill uppleva eller lämna som ett arv till våra barn och barnbarn. Allt fler medborgare ser ett federalt Europa som den mest pragmatiska och långsiktiga lösningen för Europa. Frågan är, skall denna federation baseras på ett fundament av medborgare eller på nationalstaterna?

Detta brev speglar den starka övertygelsen som en grupp av EU-medborgare från många medlemsstater har och vi inbjuder, ordförande José Manuel Barroso, ordförande Herman Van Rompuy och ordförande Martin Schulz till att främja en ny fas i reformen av Europeiska unionen, mot en demokratisk federation av medborgare.

För ett Europa vi alla vill leva i!

Brevet i orginal hittar du här.

In the footsteps of nationalism

Nationalism has reached its strongest position in Europe since World War II and it looks the same in most European states. We see both moderate nationalism and fundamentalistic nationalism on the rise.
Postwar reconciliation and integration policies are facing its biggest threat in 60 years. I am not referring to the economic crisis, but on how populist and even fundamentalistic movements utilise the crisis, that is the real threat. The established parties in Europe often respond by abandoning its own ideals and just copy these populist ( at best ) policies. Some examples of this is the migration policy and free movement in the EU.
So what follows in the footsteps of nationalism?
Europe can testify about the impact of nationalistic politics, the scars are still evident. The result was and is appalling.

Even moderate nationalists strive to achieve total homogeneity. Not only when it comes to language, faith and sexuality. Here is the dividing line between the moderate and the fundamentalistic nationalists very thin. Nationalism in all forms celebrates and strengthens the likeminded and oppresses the liberal minded. Putin's Russia is a recent example of this.
EP elections in 2014 will set the political agenda in Europe for many years to come and is therefore crucial for Europe.

Eurosceptics biggest fear

American Steven Hill writes a great article about the democracy deficit in the EU. http://www.social-europe.eu/2013/06/europes-democracy-deficit-putting-some-meat-on-the-bones-of-habermas-critique/
One piece especially captivated me.
"Many of the ‘less Europe’ critics of the democracy deficit are scared to death that European governance actually might become more democratic, since that would confer greater legitimacy, and what they really want is for each European country to retreat further inside its own castle walls."
It confirms my own experience and the feelings I have from my debates with Eurosceptics.
There 'arguments' are very seldom constructive. They lay all there energy on what is bad and on what needs to be dismantled. Eurosceptics often use very strong words, just to be extra clear that there message comes across.
In lack of arguments many sceptics turn to comparing EU with Nazi Germany or the Soviets.
My experience from debates in social media, tells me that most Eurosceptics are more interested in the romantic picture of a nation state, that no longer exists, then about pragmatic solutions and the common good of the people.
To quote my self: Nation states are about what's good for the nation. Federalism is about the common good of the people.
A rather provocative assertion that Eurosceptics to often confirm in debate.