What Europe's Day should mean for the EU citizens?

It is that time of the year again. The time of the year that will leave many people indifferent, few celebrating or commemorating, but most people confused and wondering. It is the 9th of May, Europe’s Day. 

Excuse me, does Europe have a special day on our calendar and what does it stand for? 

Why should I be bothered at all and what does it mean for me? Is this day something that only a few bureaucrats in Brussels use to pat themselves on the back for their achievements?

No matter if we want to admit it or not, many of us have had those questions in our minds. Regardless where you stand politically or what your ideas are about the EU or a united Europe - you have to realize the meaning and the concept behind this idea. 

So why should we celebrate?

What we are celebrating is not the creation of a super-state, an empire or the next superpower, even if many may mistakenly believe this. We are celebrating the creation of an organization that promotes co-operation, prosperity, development, peace and dialogue, having its impact on many fields such as culture, finances, climate change, politics and society. It directly affects us all in our everyday lives.

We are celebrating the idea of a peaceful continent, working together for the development and progress of everyone in it. This is something that has never been previously achieved, or even thought of. In fact, Europe has incited the same aspirations in many other continents and parts of the world, since its success is an example for many other regions. 

That is one reason why Europe should be proud and commemorate this day. The day on which over 60 years ago  European leaders put aside their differences and agreed to create an organization that would bring the continent together. When a dialogue was started that would serve to solve differences in peace instead of through war. When the same leaders realized that much more could be achieved by working together than by competing against each other.

European integration: Bringing benefits to every citizen

If that is not a reason for you to celebrate, think of the degree of stability, wealth, progress and opportunities for your personal development you enjoy today in Europe. Many of these achievements make your life a bit easier, either on a national or on a European level. These achievements would have been impossible without the EU. 

Achievements such as the ability to travel, study, do business, work or live in any EU country, without restrictions hassle or red tape procedures. Or the benefit of having your rights secured and recognized in all states, no matter your nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation.

If these advantages do not convince you yet consider having access to different projects or funds that may help you set up a business, expand it or re-educate or train yourself and your staff so your business is more competitive. Or simply think about the benefit of having roads, ports and stations built or upgraded in your community with funds from the EU. The list could go on and on. 

The possibilities and chances that an EU membership offers to any of us is certainly a reason to celebrate, for without them our lives would be much different. It is hard to appreciate something good when it is there, but take it away and you will be shocked at the difference that it makes in your life. The least we can do is to remind ourselves of what we have, by celebrating and commemorating this day.

United in Diversity

It is also a great way to create a feeling of “togetherness”, a feeling of belonging and sharing. A reason to be proud of your nation is that it belongs to this unique organization that is considered to be democratic and developed, to respect the rights of its citizens, and to contribute to the development and stability of Europe. 

It is an opportunity not to put aside our national identity as many fear, but to celebrate our second one that we all share, the European one. The EU is not trying to scrap any national identities, otherwise its motto would not be “United in Diversity”, and it would not have 23 official languages all recognized by the EU. 

Progress through constructive criticism

The only excuse I could imagine for anyone to feel detached or unaffected from the celebration of this day, is the inability or indifference of our national governments to underline the importance of this day to all citizens. 

That would require explaining its meaning, inciting the interest and appreciation of the public. And that is also the root of many of the public’s misunderstandings or negative attitude towards EU. Because even if you are a skeptic about the project there is no reason why you should not participate in the commemoration. 

If the situation is not what you think it should be, the EU gives you so many chances to express your opinion and have a say on what Europe must become in the future. And we have to admit: How many national governments actually do that? 

Proper “Euro-skepticism”, as they call it, is not rejection or opposition to anything related to the EU, but constructive criticism that can lead to progress and corrections. Any other attitude is not "skepticism", but simply narrow-mindedness, ungratefulness, and propaganda.

Europe Day: An opportunity for exchange and debate

So next time on the 9th of May, you do not have to sing the “Ode of Joy”, be dressed in blue from head to toe or wave the EU flag. Simply go to any happenings for this day near your area, meet and talk to people from all over Europe living there. Share your ideas, express your disappointment if you wish and discuss how the EU has failed you.

Or you can just exchange and discuss topics about your culture or country, sharing what you love about the country you live or come from and what it means for you to live in the EU. You could also debate how the EU has helped you and your country and what must still be done for EU to develop, or what vision you have for its future. That is what the 9th of May should be all about and how you should celebrate it. 

Happy Europe’s Day to everyone! Enjoy the day and the debate, be proud and have a vision for the future. You are part of Europe, so this is your day no matter if you like how the current EU works or not. 

Is a European Federation the solution to Europe’s woes? Can the European Left play a more decisive role in European politics?

There has been a lot of debate on how to solve the economic crisis that affected all the European nations for the past decade. 

Since then, there have been many calls from many European politicians, that a closer political union or even a European Federation could offer the solution.

I have arranged an interview with Paul Murphy, a former Irish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency, to discuss his thoughts on the issue. Paul represented the Socialist Party of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL). 

He believes that something has to be done on a European level, as the crisis is a European wide phenomenon. “Though in reality, it is a strategy pursued by the EU Commission,” Paul clarifies. “I do not think it will be a question of the Commission changing its mind. Because it represents certain dominant interests, like those of the bondholders and the banks”. “In a sense, they do not really care if the European economy is destroyed as long as they get the maximum return. They do not have a long-term vision for Europe’s economy at the moment,” Paul continues.

“I do not accept this notion of the people of the periphery against the people in the center, but there is a question of the establishment within the center, against people everywhere,” Paul clarifies, in regard to the growing division between Northern and Southern countries. Paul mentions as an example of what needs to be done, one of the most positive events that took place last November. There was a general strike, to some degree, called in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Malta and in Italy, more or less successful in different countries. 

“Currently I do think that a closer political integration or a federation would solve Europe’s woes,” Paul says. He believes that this is the strategy of the most far-thinking elements of the capitalist class in Europe and there is logic to it. In a sense that if Europe becomes more like one country, our problems will disappear. At the moment these problems are about the monetary union. But if the political union is going to be built on the basis they want, austerity will be at the core of it and be written into its rules. “That is what the European establishment wants and what the fiscal treaty is all about,” he explains.

“What the establishment wants is the fundamental diminution of people’s democratic rights. They are using the crisis to create a Europe that is even more removed from ordinary people across Europe, where neoliberal rules define what the EU is,” Paul states. Part of their solution is about removing power from people, in putting pressure on their governments to oppose policies.

“Ultimately I am in favor of a European Union, but on a fundamentally different basis. The road to a democratic socialist Europe, does not lie in further integration and political union from the current EU, but from a different kind of union,” Paul argues.“Because the whole thing is built completely undemocratically and ripe with an economic agenda are at the very center of what the EU is today,” he adds.

Furthermore, Paul thinks that within or without the EU, if our governments continue with the austerity policies it is going to lead to a disaster anyway. “The main thing I would say to do is to break with austerity policies. Pursue socialist policies and refuse to be blackmailed about the question of euro because that is going to happen”. 

The European establishment will say that if we chose not to pay the bondholders, we will be kicked out of the euro. “If the price of defending public services is to be kicked out of the euro then we should take it, because it is better”, he explains. Moreover, he emphasizes that “being kicked out of the euro does not have to be a disaster. It could be, if it is not combined with policies of major investment plans; nationalization of the banks and capital control for example. There are a number of social policies that have to be implemented together with the exit from the euro to prevent a disaster”.

He believes that we also need more coordination among the Left parties in Europe to achieve a fairer continent. “It is not an easy thing to do, because of the different traditions people are coming from. The best thing we can do right now is to really try and create common struggles around austerity and privatizations,” Paul claims.

Ultimately, we could create a fundamentally different kind of Europe. “This Europe, as in the European Union and the institutions that we have, can come under pressure and give more concessions with struggle from below,” he explains. “If we had genuinely left governments in a number of countries in Europe, then we could have a majority in the European Council, the Commission and then we could shift things leftward. I do not think that this is going to happen and I do not think that this European Union can be transformed into a real vehicle for socialist change,” Paul says.

Because if a series of governments coming from Greece, for example, implement left-wing policies, then those policies are against the law of the European Union. “That is the reality”.If governments try to meet the expectations of the people, then they would have to refuse to pay at least a large portion of the debt. The European establishment is not going to accept that and then these governments would lose their vote in the European Council, because it would be in defiance of many other of things.

“There is sort of a Left party in Europe, the so-called European Left Party, but I think it needs to be broader in a sense. Its main political line comes from a certain political tradition. In the Left, we have many differences towards the nature of the EU”.

“We need to create something with a different political complexion so that evoke forces coming from different political traditions. It is useful to have GUE/NGL and work within the European Parliament, but actions must take place outside the Parliament as well,” Paul suggests.

“Neo-liberalism is at the heart of the European Union project now and I do not think it is possible to break the rules and remain inside. What is most likely to happen if you break the rules, is that you will be forced out of the euro and perhaps out of the EU,” he explains.

But in doing that you will also inspire people in other countries to do the same and then, we could have a basis for a new federation of countries coming together on a fundamentally different basis. “Like trade relations based on solidarity, mutual assistance and perhaps having a new common currency or common exchange rate,” Paul believes.

“European unification has to be done anew, fresh starting over again from below. It won’t happen overnight. A lot of struggle would be required with the institutions of the old EU,” he concludes.

Young Greeks in crisis, in a post crisis country.

Over 427,000 people left Greece since the onset of the economic crisis in 2008, marking the third wave of mass emigration in the 20th and 21st centuries. (Greek Reporter)

The country experiences a wave of mass emigration. The experience of expatriates may be a key to learn best practices from other countries.

Many of the emigrants are young and well educated, resulting in a brain-drain for the Greek society and economy that ultimately is bad news for the country. 

A lot of these job opportunity seekers, migrate to other EU member states with stronger economies which offer more opportunity to develop their careers. Yet some of them have found themselves in a peculiar situation. The Greek community in Ireland is growing, despite the difficulties that the Irish economy went through during the past years.

It is estimated that the number of Greeks in the country has doubled - if not tripled, over the period that followed both the Greek and the Irish bail-outs programmes. Partially because Ireland was the first country to exit the EU/IMF monitoring program, there are many other factors that despite all flaws, make the Irish economy more competitive than the Greek. 

Apart from the obvious advantages of the English language, its strong ties with the USA and strategic location close to most major European economies, plus of course the much-debated corporate taxation system, Ireland has established a more business-friendly economy.

"In 5 working days, you can set up your business"
Giorgos Stamopoulos is originally from the city of Patra in Greece. He moved to Ireland about 5 years ago, where he started working in various jobs in customer service and the IT industry. But 4 months ago, he decided with his partners to open “Eat-Greek,” a takeaway restaurant in Dublin. Back home, he used to run his own business in the frozen meats trade, but as the economic crisis took over the country, it was hard to make any profit. “People just did not have the money to make any payments,” he describes.

His new business venture in Ireland is doing very well so far. Overall Giorgos is very impressed and satisfied with the way business is conducted in the country.

“It is very easy to get a license and open a shop in this country, as the license is being issued on the property rather on the individual owner, like in Greece,”  he says.

“There is less paperwork or red-tape and dealing with the banks or the local authorities is very much straight-forward,” Giorgos continues. 

“Back in Greece opening your own business takes too much time and money, as there are a lot of parties involved; from solicitors to public servants, the owner of the premises, the business partners,” he describes.

In addition, taxation is made easy in Ireland and everything is streamlined to do business faster and with less effort.

The working conditions are better too. There is far more meritocracy in Irish businesses and if you work hard you will succeed, according to Giorgos. Adam Kritidis moved to Dublin around 22 years ago, from his hometown of Edessa. He is also a business owner in Ireland, although for much longer than Giorgos.  He opened his first restaurant 16 years ago, and since then he has co-owned to another 8 restaurants in Dublin. 

Adam also points out Ireland’s “business-friendly” mentality. “In 5 working days, you can set up your business and additionally, 7 days are required for opening a bank account for it,” he states. That is something that Greece is still lacking behind, hindering naturally much of its business and economic development.

"There is a better work culture" 
People that arrived more recently in Ireland, have noticed major differences between the two countries.

Theodoros Zioutos came to Dublin in 2015, while already being married with two children. He arrived on his own, while his family stayed back in Greece for a while. They were reunited once he settled into his new home. He is a sound engineer, a profession he has been doing since 1995 in Greece. With 20 years of experience, Theodoros decided to resettle in Ireland, as he saw his working rights being scrapped in a country disintegrating under a deep economic crisis.

“I felt that I had no career prospects anymore, while I was seeking to find a financially safer and stable environment to raise my two kids,” he describes. 

“In Ireland, working experience is being rewarded and acts as a bonus when seeking employment. There is a better work culture, with staff getting lunch breaks and receiving the necessary rest between shifts,” Theodoros continues.

He adds that health and safety issues are being taken seriously, there is a meritocracy and adequate training is always being given. “Overall there is far more professionalism in an Irish workplace, than in Greece,” he adds.

Theodoros thinks that Greece could follow Ireland’s example in many ways. This includes a better organization and prioritization, less red tape and a more transparent taxation system. In short, streamlining the state’s institutions and their functions.

"I need to work fewer hours to make ends meet"  

His quality of life has improved since he moved to Ireland. “I need to work fewer hours to make ends meet, thus I can spend more time with my family, which is important,” he says.

Under the current economic climate, Theodoros does not consider returning to Greece. Yet because of the uncertainty that exists in Europe due to Brexit, he does not exclude moving on to another EU country. There are some things though that some new arrivals from Greece find harder to adopt, although in general, their experiences remain positive.

Matina Velonaki is originally from Athens in Greece. She studied English Literature and prior to her moving to Ireland, she worked as an English teacher. She was also working freelance as a translator but unfortunately, she was not making enough money from either job. Her income in Greece during the crisis was amounting to about 50 € a week.

Matina visited Dublin in 2009 and stayed in the country for one year for studies. After two years back in Greece, she returned to Ireland to find a job. She settled in the city of Cork where she started working in a Greek-speaking, customer service industry related job.

Matina feels that working conditions in Ireland are far better than Greece overall, but she also came across various working conditions, some that she was unfamiliar with, in her home country.

"Bogus Contracts" 
“I have never heard of the so-called “bogus contracts” that several multinational companies offer their workers,” she explains. 

“Working with no sick leave, demanding working conditions, flexible hours with the minimum wage, plus no worker’s benefits, is something I was not aware that existed in Ireland,” she describes.

During her career, she experienced lack of job security in some multinational companies and in addition, very tough competition among Greeks. She believes that because of the hardships back home, several Greek workers in Ireland have become extra competitive to maintain these jobs.

She plans to remain in Ireland for the long term, but preferably move to Dublin. She got used to the way things work here, although she misses her home country occasionally.

Lessons for Europe

These examples showcase a different work culture that Greece and other EU member states could consider in order to make their economies more competitive.

Not all of them might be applicable to other places in Europe, however examining and debating on them could offer valuable insights on how to reform the way we conduct and attract business, copy the beneficial parts, avoid the mistakes. Thus, expatriate communities could prove to be the best source of experience and knowledge on such issues. I wonder how could their voices be heard, both by their adopted and native countries, to create a constant database of shared apprehension on how to conduct business across Europe.

(Originally written for One Europe by me in 2017)

The world community must step in to stop the war in Syria...And that excludes USA, Russia, Britain and France!

On Friday the 13th of April, USA, France and Britain have finally bombarded Syria, despite Russian threats and objections. The move comes months after the alleged poisoning of the Skripals in the UK, plus an overall build-up of tensions between the West and Russia.

Accusations and counter-accusations, denying, lying and propaganda from both sides and their media, have done very little to help end the war, which been raging for 7 years now. After an estimated death toll of 400,000 people, plus a country in absolute ruin, the international community still hasn't managed to stop this bloodshed.

I won't even bother taking sides or put the blame on who started it, which side is right or wrong, or justify the involvement of either Russia or USA, France and Britain in this conflict. Their participation was alleged to help end this war, but it is obvious that either side is really interested in this.

Both want to protect their own interests in the region, or the interests of their allies, like Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia, who are also involved in this messy conflict.

The point is that the time is ticking and by now, the world has lost and failed a whole generation of Syrians. We have let a country to be destroyed, consumed by geopolitics, foreign and internal interests, greed, power mongering and petty religious and ethnic politics in the Middle East.

On top of that, we deny this generation protection or help, we stigmatize them and we close the doors to them. We have failed them again and again and any civilized human being would be ashamed of its kind right now.

The Western allies had no authority to bombard Syria, no mandate by their own parliaments nor the UN and the international community. They just did so to make a point to Russia, which similarly did not have a UN support either to take action in Syria.

One can, of course, blame Russia for its involvement in this conflict, however, how can the West have the nerve to accuse the Russians of their actions, since they have done the same if not worse in the past? They lied about the true reasons behind their involvement in the destabilization of most of the region's countries, yet now they disagree and point the finger when Russia is taking action.

Still, it was the West which initially opened the bag of Aeolus, by its constant meddling and siding with the Saudi's or the Israelis and their interests in the region.  So it is futile to even enter into a conversation about the reasons that led to this war.

That comes to little help or consolation to the Syrians, which right now they need to get their country back. And it is becoming obvious that this isn't anywhere in the near future.

The only solution is if other nations, like China, India, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden or any other of the neutral and influential countries in this world, step up and stand against both Western and Russian interests, or those of their allies in the region, putting an end to this conflict.

It is becoming obvious that the UN in its current form is paralyzed and useless. It is only a reflection of the world's division between the West and everyone who is challenging its hegemony, thus constituting the necessity for its urgent reformation.

Under its present arrangement, no conflict that falls under the interests of the USA, its allies or their enemies can ever be resolved or peace to be re-established, unless of course as the Russians have put it, the Americans step in and impose it by military force, acting like the police of this planet. In the past, the US even ignored in numerous cases the UN's decision and invaded countries anyway.

This has to change. We need new players around the globe, to challenge and change the current status-quo, for the sake of the future generations. There should be an active involvement of diplomats that are impartial from either side's interests, independent, to step in and solve conflicts such as this, by discussing and mediating with the two conflicting sides, not the foreign powers which have interests in the region.

That is why we need a multi-polar world now more than ever, new blocks and countries to become more active and vocal, limiting the power and its abuse by the established leading "first world" nations or those who oppose them.

What we are witnessing is only the beginning, a new cold war between two old hostile blocks that have nearly ruined the world in the past. We can not let them do it again in our generation.

Protests against water charges in Ireland, 2015.

For the first five years of the euro-zone economic crisis, the attention of the media and European public was focused on Greece. Every development, strike, protest, fault or scandal was reported by most major media organizations in the continent.

So much that people almost forget that this crisis was not confined in Greece only. It has affected most countries in Europe, especially those in the eurozone. Yet while we have had a detailed portrayal or all events in Greece, we rarely had any information on how other countries are responding to austerity.

In 2015, Ireland has seen an unprecedented amount of its citizens, joining anti-austerity protests. What triggered the demonstrations was the introduction of water charges, which are part of the austerity policies that Ireland had to adopt, under its bailout plan.

Various anti-austerity, Left-wing platforms or community groups, have joined and initiated the protests, which started about a year ago. They were all driven by an “austerity fatigue”, plus a growing feeling of injustice, where people were called to bail-out financial institutions.

The protests came to the fore of public attention, with a protest of around 100,000 people in Dublin on 11 October last year. People across the country were involved, from all backgrounds. The latest one took place on August the 29th, in which some 80,000 people participated.

For someone that does not live in Ireland, a protest against water charges may seem odd. Every nation in Europe has already introduced water bills decades ago. In addition, Irish people will enjoy the cheapest charges in Europe for water. So why do they protest?

The water charges debate is not anything new in the country. It has been going on for decades and in fact in the past, water charges were introduced and then abolished by previous governments.

The situation was always a complex one, with local authorities and the elected government of each given period engaging in negotiations, leading to various agreements.

From introducing council service charges or “double taxation” as some named them, to payments through local government funds, governments tried to come up with solutions.

One Irish political figure, who is extremely vocal on the issue, is Paul Murphy. The former Member of the European Parliament is now a TD for the Anti-Austerity Alliance in the Dail (Irish Parliament).

Paul explains that there has never been a separate charge for water in Ireland; it has been paid through general central taxation. He believes that its use should be remitted through progressive taxation like income, wealth and corporation tax, rather than regressive indirect taxes like water charges.

“Charges like these will penalize those who have the least the most, whereas those who have the most would barely feel the charge,” he says.

“The Irish public is also opposed to the charges, because they think they are a precursor to making water a commodity and then privatizing their water infrastructure,” Paul describes.

He adds that people are involved heavily in the protests, because they have had seven years of vicious austerity. Which amounted to €31 billion of extra cuts and taxes, thus the timing of the introduction of the charges is bad.

“The government announced a recovery that few experience, plus they wanted to continue with austerity in the form of these water charges. The accumulated anger over the course of the crisis, exploded on this issue,” Paul notes.

The protests have been enormously successful so far, being the biggest social movement in decades. They forced the government to make significant concessions, delaying the charge and reducing it significantly, trying to convince people to pay it.

“Most importantly, the movement has succeeded in having 57% of people refuse to pay the water charges, despite months of propaganda and scaremongering,” explains Paul.

Left-wing groups, including the Anti-Austerity Alliance are heavily involved, but it has also created a whole new activist layer in a society of thousands of people.

“The political elite are scared of the anti-water charges movement. They thought they had gotten through the crisis without major social movements and political radicalization. Now they face both on this issue.” Paul describes.

“Their response has been an unprecedented level of state repression. People are arrested daily for protesting against water meters,” he notes.

The largest demonstrations have seen up to 200,000 protesters joining in a series of regional initiatives. Over 50% of them according to surveys have never been involved in protests before.

Although there are not active links with other movements across Europe, there is a widespread sentiment of solidarity with other working people across Europe. For example, during the anti-water charges protests, many of the protesters were holding Greek flags.

“In Ireland just as in Greece and Spain, the traditional establishment parties have been significantly undermined. There is a rise in support for left-wing and socialist parties like the Anti-Austerity Alliance,” says Paul.

But why Ireland has escaped the focus of the European media, regarding such protests? “The defeat of the Syriza government, under the pressure of incredible and undemocratic bullying by the EU, is used by the Right in Ireland to undermine the Left” he explains.

“There is a big lie surrounding Ireland; that it is the success story of austerity and that people accepted it. The Irish government and the European authorities are complicit in this, each for their own purpose,” Paul describes.

“For the Irish government, it means a pat on the back by the EU Commission. For the EU authorities, it provides a stick to beat the people of Greece with, showing that supposedly austerity works,” he adds.

“The movement around water charges explodes that lie and doesn’t fit with the narrative that is shared by the establishments across Europe. That is why what is happening in Ireland, is not largely reported,” Paul concludes.

Ireland had a general election within the next eight months after the protests and with widespread non-payment, the water charges were a key issue which heavily influenced the outcome. There was be immense pressure on the next government, to abolish water charges and Irish Water.

Eventually, the government was defeated and IRISH WATER has begun repaying customers on their water charges from Monday 20 November 2017. President Michael D Higgins signed the Water Services Bill 2017 into law, clearing the way for water charges to be repaid. (The Journal)

This article was written originally by me in 2015 and was exclusively published for OneEurope. Now I have decided to include it and republish it on my own blog. 

Why closer relations between Europe and Russia could be beneficial.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, recently raised the prospect of action against Russia as a reaction to the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury, England. The UK government has blamed the poisoning on Russia.

Speaking in Brussels, he said his Government would consider whether to expel Russian diplomats in Dublin over the coming days in solidarity with the UK’s retaliatory response. (Irish Times)

At least 10 other EU nations, expressed the same intentions, in support towards the United Kingdom. Member states understood to be preparing to oust diplomats include France, Germany, Poland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Denmark. (The Guardian)

In response, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused the UK of trying to make “the crisis with Russia as deep as possible”. In London they “are feverishly trying to force allies to take confrontational steps”, he told reporters on a visit to Hanoi. (The Guardian).

It seems that the Cold War mentality together with "Russophobia," hasn't left Europe yet. And although our continent is right to be wary of any foreign intervention and meddling, we must also remember that not just Russia, but even our ally the USA was spying on EU and our governments a few years back.

Understandably, Western societies have more to fear after the Putin's administration treatment of Ukraine and Georgia, which were both a mistake. If he is willing to invade its neighbors in order to protect the Russian communities or interests there, then the Russians must understand how other former Soviet states that now joined the EU and their allies, feel towards their leadership.

The problem here is, that we are in reality in steep competition with an increasingly confident and ambitious Russia and that understandably poses certain challenges for Europe. Although it shouldn't if Europe realizes that its strength should be its unity and coordination against all "foreign meddlers," allied or not. 

However, in the case of Russia, Europe insists on maintaining a very awkward relationship. We are in competition with other powers too, like China, India or even the USA itself, yet we haven't developed such hostility towards them. One will naturally think, that we haven't had such attacks by any of the other blocks, like that from Russia. But do we know for certain that it was them? We only have the UK government claims after all.

An administration who convinced us in the past about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, in order to invade and destabilize the region, while nothing was found after all. It was a lie and an excuse to proceed with the US plans in the Middle East. Not that Russia is not capable of doing something like this, it has done so before. Yet we should keep an open mind, about the real motives from either side. 

European and American attitudes towards Russia were always aiming to keep them out of our continent. And not just that. We always wanted to prevent them from developing again as a power, trying to keep them down, blaming them for everything and portray them as the boogeyman from the East that wants to destroy our societies. 

In reality, we have much more in common with Russia, than many other countries in the world. The Russian Federation is a union of many regions, that span across Eurasia, comprised of a variety of ethnic and religious groups. Overall, about 160 ethnicities reside in its territory.

They have managed to deal with a problem that Europe is facing increasingly too, that of how to integrate such large and diverse populations. They have been doing it for far longer than us, although their methods are very different and often not compatible with our values.

While Europe is choosing a more open and liberal approach, Russia, on the other hand, was always more authoritarian. Historically they did better with a strong leader, an authority figure like a Tsar or a Soviet ruler to unite them, than referendums and a more open democratic process. 

Yet they have succeeded in certain challenges far better than us, so Europe could indeed take a few pages out of their book if it is indeed planning to become more federal. Besides, total freedom and liberalism have their own challenges. How do you stop a region from breaking away, or win a referendum to leave or join the EU? 

If we think about it, Europe has chosen a different yet more difficult route to federalization and it hasn't always been successful. The Catalan referendum and how Spain and the EU have managed it, Brexit and Norway's reluctance to fully commit or join the EU, showcase the challenges that our kind of democracy is facing. 

Russia has opted to create its own unique political reality, that is to a large extend democratic and federal indeed, yet it relies on a strong dominant figure that is its president. They vote for local governments and presidents, in addition to the central one and the country's president.

Yet their participation in the federal or presidential elections, is much higher than the European Parliament elections. In Europe, we are still trying to figure out if we need a president, or which of our many existing ones will take this role; the EU Commission, Council or Parliament president? And although to us seems totally illegitimate the way Vladimir Putin is dominating the country's politics for two decades, the majority of Russians do feel that he is very appropriate to lead the country to a new era of influencing the world.

Russia has solved in its own unique way, its presidential role problem as well as many others. Oil-rich regions like that of the Tatarstan Republic, are financially supporting Russia's less prosperous regions. Just like it happens in EU, yet without all the populism, discontent and quarreling that we witness between the European states. Russian states enjoy fiscal union, something that Europe cannot agree on. 

Financial support and transfers from rich nations to the new poorer ones, is always a thorny issue in EU and a reason why Brexit happened; or why countries like Norway or Switzerland chose to stay outside the block. Europeans always argue about who pays what and how much. In contrast, the Russian republics are more inclined to find a consensus. 

In most regions, like this of Tatarstan's capital Kazan, they have managed to integrate two large religious groups, Orthodox Christians and Muslims, to live side by side peacefully. Something that Europe could also take a closer look at, since it is increasingly becoming more diverse on religious grounds. 

Yet the most astonishing achievement of the Russian Federation that could be applied in Europe, is the motivation, inclusion and mobilization of its youth. The Young Guards of Russia, may be Putin's United Russia's youth political branch, but it has become the backbone of the country's civil society. 

They are well supported and financed by the government, organized and able to collaborate with politicians, both from their own country and abroad, influencing their decisions. They are also able to lobby, organize events, invite and work with foreign NGOs and diplomats, in order to promote their country's interests or develop their skills and promote their careers.

Any young person can become a member of the Young Guards, but it is not compulsory to stay or become a member of the party. This is a platform that young people can explore their political identity, network and become active members of their country's civil society. 

Something that Europe has failed to achieve collectively. Even Erasmus, our continent's most important youth program, was considered for abolishment when the economic crisis hit our member states. We need to realize the importance of youth involvement in the European project. Instead, we still believe that encouraging their active participation in the European institutions through education or civic platforms, is EU propaganda, brainwashing, and indoctrination.

If we want to create a pan-European civil society, we have to target Europe's youth and include them, give them the same opportunities and financial support as Russia is offering its own. Young people are the future after all and as things stand, Europe's youth has become increasingly apathetic towards the continent's politics, national or collective European.

In addition to all the above, Russia is reaching out to all emerging regions of the world, indiscriminately. While Europe and America prefer to impose sanctions against any country that does not fill their political, social or financial criteria and standards, Russia is not bothered by all that.

During my stay in Russia for the country's Presidential Elections in March, I've met diplomats and delegates from all over the world; Africa, Nepal, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Europe. Not just the political leadership of the country, but also its youth organizations, are reaching out and trying to reinforce the importance of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) group as a global player, to counterpart Western dominance in the world. 

And while America chooses to withdraw and scorns nations such as Mexico, Russia is reaching out and is attracting young politicians and diplomats from this country and beyond. If America prefers to build walls and does not want to engage with Mexico, then its youth has found another country to aspire for future cooperation and support. How can this be any good for American politics?

Outside the city of Kazan, I  have visited Innopolis (from the word innovation and the Greek polis, which means city), a brand new settlement and notably the country's smallest municipality, that has big ambitions. It wants to become the Russian Silicon Valley, to compete but also cooperate with those of America and Europe. Its inhabitants work on IT development and many of the country's online platforms are increasingly based there.

It is evident that Russia thinks big and wants to become a major player in the globe, leaving behind its old image of a reclusive, closed society. I have experienced a great amount of hospitality, ambition and keenness to showcase all that this country has to offer, by nobody else but its own youth. 

They want to reach out and rebuild their country's image, not as a backwater has-been super-power, but a nation that is dynamic and able to attract investments inwards. Young Russians do not always understand the bad press their country is receiving abroad, especially in Western counties. They read two totally different reports about the events that happen in their country.

In reality, the truth stands somewhere in the middle. Things are not as bad as we in the West portray them, even though Russia is indeed facing certain challenges. We are just threatened by Russia's increasing assertiveness and want to keep it out of our affairs. 

Yet we should really change our attitude towards our neighbor. If we cooperate with them, we could achieve much more than by being constantly at each other's throats. We could learn a few things from them on youth engagement and empowerment, while we could teach them not to be afraid of a more liberal approach to social issues and politics.

But this won't be achieved with constant sanctions and the expulsion of diplomats. That will be reached by closer ties and collaboration. Although one would wonder if that is what our leadership really wants, or it has a different agenda.

Albeit we eventually clash over the in-between nations like Ukraine, on which block they will join or belong to, the decision will ultimately be their own and all we have to do is offer a better deal than Russia. But that will come once we sort our own backyard first, rather trying to throw stones at our neighbor's. 

In the future, we will live in a more multipolar world, one which Western monopolies will diminish. Even Africa is building its very own single market and free trade agreement, considering a single currency too. If they are successful in their goals, they will create a far larger market in the world, with more than a billion people, mostly young. 

Other big "players" like Russia, India and China, are rushing to increase their influence in Africa, plus across the world. Can Europe still think that others must play by its own rules in order to collaborate, stick strictly to the Euro-Atlantic alliance, or exclude countries like Russia because they pose a threat or competition? 

What do the Russian Presidential Elections in March 2018, mean for Europe.

On Sunday the 18th of March, voters throughout the Russian Federation rallied to elect their president. As it was expected, Vladimir Putin won these elections, with a whopping 76% of the votes.

While the West was caught up in the Sergei Skripal poisoning case a week before the elections, or the alleged rigging of the voting procedure by government officials after, Putin managed to win yet again.

Despite all efforts from outside and within the country, Russian people seem to have found a figure who as they believe, is the best man to promote Russia's interests abroad. Resulting of course, in his reign in the country for nearly two decades.

We need to understand and accept that Russia is not a Western-style democracy, thus we can not expect them to act like one by force. When we apply sanctions, or ridicule and criticise their country, we only reinforce their support for the establishment.

Something that was indeed confirmed by Andrei Kondrashov, Putin's campaign spokesman. “Turnout is higher than we expected, by about 8-10 percent, for which we must say thanks to Great Britain,” he stated. (Financial Times)

One would indeed wonder why would Putin proceed with an attack on foreign soil, just before the presidential elections, since it would obviously result in further sanctions by Britain and its allies, plus a serious diplomatic incident.

If his administration's aim was to mobilize their voters in this way, then Britain mistakenly just helped them achieve this by over-reacting. Or perhaps the attack was instigated by Mr. Putin's enemies, either within Russia or abroad in an effort to stop him from gaining power once more. Then again, they achieved quite the opposite of what they aimed.

I was in Russia during the elections and observed the process in the city of Kazan, in the Tatarstan Republic. Prior to the elections I also visited Moscow, where I spoke with some locals about their view of the events and expectations for the outcome.

The city of Kazan and the Republic of Tatarstan as a whole, were always voting traditionally for the United Russia party. Consequently, Putin is very popular there despite this time running as an independent, in order to avoid legal impediments that could stand in the way of his nomination or election. Therefore it was expected that he would win in this state.

However, the overall Russian public rushed in support of Putin, only partially disappointed about Europe's stance towards their country. "Over 20 million Russians were killed for European freedom from fascism during WW2," some stated, expressing their discontent about their country's image in the rest of the continent.

The issues they were truly voting for, had nothing to do with Britain or any of the Western democracies' actions. They were electing the next president of their country, with the main focus on his government, the choice of the next prime minister, the boosting of the Russian economy and strengthening of the county's role in the world.

A major factor was also the outcome in Crimea, which many saw it as a second secession from Ukraine referendum, that could lead to its full incorporation into Russia. If Putin is elected there, that could signal the Crimean people's wish to be part of Russia for good.

It was the first presidential elections in the region and thus of specific interest to the Russian people. In the end, the participation in the elections there exceeded the 71% mark, with 92.15% voting for Putin. Sealing naturally the Crimea's fate, according to Russia at least.

From my experience, the elections in Kazan were orderly and organized. There are two cameras in every voting station, which record all day during the voting and the counting process. In the stations, there was a very communal sense and atmosphere, with markets or fairs being organized selling local products at lower prices, in order to motivate voters to attend.

In each station, there were observers from every political party in Russia, plus many independent ones that traditionally volunteer for the elections. You could also see some foreign observers, usually from other former Soviet republics. Everybody was calm and friendly, with music often also added in order to create a very positive and joyful atmosphere.

However the next day of the elections and the announcement of Putin's victory, western media were reporting images from a widespread rigging of the process. One, of course, could be baffled how would people attempt to place some extra votes in the ballot box, while knowing that there are cameras recording and that they are live on the government's website broadcasting the process.

It doesn't make sense if you are a Putin supporter to do this deliberately, when you want to give your support for him and his cause. Or perhaps those who were caught wanted to rig the voting process on purpose, in an effort to discredit it? We will never know. However in Kazan things were pretty smooth although understandably, that does not mean that they were so all over Russia.

The people I conversed with in Moscow for instance, did not deny that these occurrences are common, but according to them they only happen to about 1% of the electoral centers. Yet somehow these cases are uploaded on national social media and picked by international news agencies, giving a very distorted image about the elections in Russia.

Perhaps trying to grasp this opportunity and explain how Putin wins every time. Well, what I witnessed is pure admiration and adoration for him by many ordinary Russians, since what they see in him is the restoration of the country's prestige.

Additionally, the country's political mentality differs greatly from the Western one. This is a nation that was a super-power for most of its time, plus it was always inclined to favor a more authoritarian establishment, than a fully democratic.

It is a vast state, comprised of numerous regions, inhabited by many ethnic groups of different religion and race. In order to give this diverse populous nation unity, you need either an authoritarian regime or a very strong central government in order to keep it together.

From its Tsardom to the Communism and Soviet era, Russia opted for authoritarianism so that it could keep all these different populations in order and give them a sense of unity and belonging. It is by no chance that Putin's party is called "United Russia" and it is very popular in the country.

Russia suffered a humiliation with the collapse of the Soviet Union, which saw it losing a large number of its former territories. And one thing that Russians wish to see above all is unity, security plus stability in the remainder of their territories and the relaunching of Russia's influence in the world.

And it is not necessarily by recapturing the old territories, rather by reaching out to new allies and promoting its influence with trade and networking. Russia is a keen supporter of the BRICS group of countries, intensively collaborating with nations that the West views as problematic, of poor economic development or not democratic.

Their need for unity and prevention of another region breaking or slipping away from their sphere of influence, is the main reason why some absurd actions are taken or laws adopted. In order to accommodate all ethnic groups or communities, of which some are ultra-conservative, the Russian establishment does not hesitate to implement legislation that does not comply with western mentality.

Like the Anti-Gay Propaganda Law, or the restriction of the freedom of the press and the Kremlin's critics. Absolute liberalism can pose a challenge, in a diverse nation that is still recovering from major economic, political and social changes that it went through during the past few decades. And I don't think that Russia is totally prepared for such thing just yet.

One example is, of course, that of Alexei Navalny, the Russian lawyer who openly challenges Putin and his government on corruption and the lack of freedom of speech. Some westerners hoped that he could make a difference in these elections, yet he was barred from participating in these elections, after he was detained in Moscow facing a number of charges.

In reality, I doubt that he could have a real impact, although he could have brought down Putin's percentage a bit. According to the Kremlin, he is a populist, no different than the Five Star Movement in Italy, or numerous others across Europe. And like most of these rising political movements, his aim is to gather support and gain power and legitimacy, by criticising the establishment.

However, Russia is not Italy or any other European country. Proof of that is the support for Putin in these elections, despite what happened to Navalny and even if all of his claims were true. Imagine if the Italian government jailed Beppe Grillo or barred him from participating in the elections, I doubt that the Italian public would vote afterwards so overwhelmingly for the establishment parties.

Navalny maybe fighting the good cause, or he may indeed be a populist and opportunist, but the West cannot rely on him to bring down or expose the Russian establishment and Putin, or change Russia overnight. The support for him before the elections was low, only polling at about 2% of the intended votes.

He is simply not too convincing or popular to have any real impact on the Russian electorate just yet, although any effort to expose corruption should be applauded. Additionally, many Russians see their country as a counterpart factor to America's dominance in the globe.

They view Putin as the only person that can help their country achieve this, that is why he is so popular among them and in fact, so unpopular in the West. Because he shows total disregard towards Western agendas or interests, often challenging them.

In addition, Russia is keen to keep western meddling media or governments away from their affairs, practically not caring about what they write or say about the country. And why should it? Europe and America often did the same, by starting wars in the Middle East despite the United Nations' objection, or interfering in elections, referendums, country dissolutions and everything else that we accuse Russia of.

We are indeed entering in a new form of a cold war, but this time it is different. It is not just Russia, but many other regions that are competing with us for dominance and a greater say in the world's economy and politics. That is not something that should scare us, as long as we have our house in order and establish a strong, united European continent. It could lead to a more equal world, rather the imbalanced one we have at the moment.

However, the more we maintain a rift with Russia, the more we give power to Putin or others like him in the country. In reality, this struggle is a power game between America and the Russians for world dominance. Due to our ideological fraternity with the USA, we stand with them yet we forget that we are the ones which have borders with Russia and many of our states, used to be under their sphere of influence.

It is not in our interests to be constantly following America in its foreign policy, while keeping the Russians outside. By closely cooperating with them, it doesn't mean that we are becoming their subordinates, rather realizing the changes that are taking place on the world stage. We are entering a multi-polar world and we should be "playing" with all parties, most importantly those who we share borders with and depend upon for our energy needs.

Vladimir Putin will stay in power for another six years and he will continue to expand his country's influence, like any leader should do. Instead of trying to slander him and his government, it would be wiser to see how can we turn Russia into a friendly state. At some stage, even Putin will have to retire from politics, due to an old age. Yet who succeeds him and what attitude will he have towards Europe, will be also of our doing.