Reinstating border controls for security? Be careful what you wish for.

Many of us residing in the Western part of Europe, take a lot of things that our country's EU membership is offering us for granted.

Our generation does not remember border controls, visas, check-points and long queues at the borders.

We are used to jump on a car, plane, train, bus or caravan and drive through our continent effortlessly and hassle-free. We can literally visit one country and if we get bored, we can rent a car or get on a bus and go on a daily city break for a shopping spree across the border, to another town of a neighbouring country.

We forget that it wasn't always like this and that not everyone in Europe can enjoy such privilege. While I was traveling from Ireland to my native Greece this summer, I thought to make a stop over to Bulgaria and experience all that it has to offer.

After four days traveling through the country, me and my partner decided to leave the city of Plovdiv and head to my hometown of Thessaloniki in Greece.

I have totally forgotten that Bulgaria is still not a Schengen member state, but I was not prepared for what I was about to experience. We could only get to Greece through the check point of Promachonas, a small town in the Greek-Bulgarian borders.

Under the scorching heat, one could see long queues of cars, buses and trucks, all waiting to pass through the border controls. Drivers of cars had to show their passports at the check-points, while truck drivers had to pull aside, show their ID, vehicle registration and licence, while in addition they had to allow a search in their cargo, just in case they were hiding any illegal immigrants.

The same procedure applied for passenger and tourist buses. We had to drive aside and pull over, present our passports or ID to the Greek officers, while the non-EU passengers had to hand over their documents for inspection and to be stamped. Meanwhile the luggage compartment had to be opened, to be checked for any illegal migrants. 

All this took around 20-30 minutes, something that I was unaware that it still exists. As I am a frequent traveller within the Schengen Area, I am used to be reminded when I change countries by the sound of my mobile phone, welcoming me to the new country. Having to wait in a long queue to enter a country felt so alien.

One would think how these countries can experience the full benefits of EU membership, if they cannot enjoy free movement. In other parts of Europe, roads and railways have been fixed and modernized, because there is no need to check everyone that crosses through. Goods take shorter time to be delivered, while people can go shopping frequently and effortlessly across the border, boosting trade between the countries.

In the Balkans this is yet unimaginable. The roads and railways still need to be upgraded, but with so many restrictions this development lags behind. As result, the whole region loses out in tourism, trade and infrastructure modernization, hindering economic development, something that this region desperate needs.

And not just Bulgaria or Romania but Greece too, which has long been held back by keeping the Balkans outside the EU and countries such Bulgaria and Romania outside of the Schengen. Their application has been ongoing, and their accession postponed- or rather blocked, by the fear of other EU member states such as Finland, the Netherlands and Germany about the impact it could have on immigration.

Although Bulgaria and Romania have been working hard to meet the criteria, the refugee crisis and the rise of xenophobia in Europe has stopped them from joining the free movement area. As an excuse, the EU council members that opposed their accession claimed that there are corruption concerns and the ability of the Bulgarian or Romanian authorities to deal with the problem.

While partially their concerns are justified, they forget that the more a region remains poor, the easier it is for corruption to settle and prevail. The only way to tackle this issue is direct investments, rise of the living standards, education, economic stability and prosperity that will lead to the gradual abandonment of old ways and practices.

But for all the above to be achieved by these two countries, they need the support of the EU and to be treated as equal members, allowing them to access their full potential by becoming admitted to all of the block's agreements. We cannot let the internal social or political struggles and insecurities of other member states on immigration, to hold back the member states that need our support the most.

On our way back from Greece to Ireland, we flew through an EU member in another type of transitional crisis. We had to get two flights that were not interconnected from Thessaloniki to Dublin, via Manchester in the United Kingdom.

We carried two cabin and one dispatched bag that we had checked in at Thessaloniki airport. As we got few bottles of wine from Greece and since our flights were not interconnected, we decided to get out of the arrivals in Manchester, collect our bag then place the bottles in it, before dispatching it again with our flight to Dublin, pass again through security and get the plane home.

We have done this so many times before in our travels, since I am a Greek/EU citizen and my partner is Brazilian with a permanent visa for all EU member states, as he works and resides legally in Ireland and is married to an EU national. 

We have never been stopped, not even in Istanbul airport when we had to stay overnight in a hotel, nor during our trip from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a non-EU member. We have visited the United Kingdom two years ago and there was no problem with his passport or his visa, he has the right to travel in the country, with no restrictions. 

However, upon our arrival at Manchester airport, my partner went through the non-EU passport holder check-points, while I continued through the EU national ones. I collected our bag, but my partner was very late, and I started getting worried as we had a limited amount of time to catch our next flight.

The airport's security staff had decided or got the orders, not to allow any non-EU passengers coming from Greece traveling through the UK outside the arrivals. The excuse they gave him was that he had only about an hour until his next flight and so they escorted him until the gate.  

They forced him through a further two security checks in which they removed three of the bottles in his cabin bag he had bought from Greece, with a total loss of 25 euro. One would wonder why he had to go through security checks again, since he didn't leave the airport and he was checked at Thessaloniki airport. Especially since it was the security staff's decision to deny him entry.

All this time I was on the other side, trying to call him and reassure him that I would find him at the gates. I also tried to reach the passport control desks, in case I could explain the situation to the officers and allow me to get his bags.  

The security staff was so rude and obnoxious towards me, I was shocked. The first lady repeatedly asked me to leave, while I was trying to explain to her that I am looking for my partner that was held back and that I wanted to clarify what happened to him.

She just said, "no Sir you have to go". I stepped a few steps back and tried to call my partner to tell him that I had to go and I would see him on the other side, when a second even more obnoxious, security staff asked me once again to move on and get out the area. "Sir, I thought you were told to leave". Even though I was clearly not making any fuss, I was just on the phone trying to talk to my partner and explain to him that I cannot reach him at this point, he will have to do as he was told.

I left and went to check the bag in, went through security again in which I was myself scanned twice, before meeting my partner. He described how terrible the whole situation was and how horrible they treated people with no EU passports.

Before him there was a group of people from the USA, who were also refused entry in the UK, after only losing their flight back to their country. They were trying to reach the airline's desk, but the security staff were repeatedly telling them that they have to turn back. "Go back where", the passengers were asking, "our flight has departed!" The answer they got was "that is something that you and your airline will have to solve", before being escorted away like my partner.

Can anyone imagine the frustration of these individuals? Being on one flight, losing their next one to the USA and not be able to get out from the arrivals to find a representative of their airline and solve the problem. How could they solve it while remaining in the arrivals area, while most airlines have their customer care desks at the departure sector?

I have lodged a complaint with Manchester Airport, in which they advised me that the staff responsible were not airport employees, rather from the UK Border Agency, a government body. In other words, the country's recent policy was to deter any non-EU nationals from entering the UK briefly, unless their destination was their country.

It is all due to the country's recent stricter border controls policy, in order to manage immigration, especially from countries like Greece, which has been on the forefront of Europe's refugee crisis. One can understand that all this unnecessary hysteria, shows a lack of competence to deal with the issue, a national insecurity about immigrants or refugees and not only in the UK but the whole of the Western world.

A country like Britain that was so progressive in the past, has now turned so xenophobic that cannot allow a young man which has legally the right to visit the UK as a tourist visa free, to enter the country for some time while traveling from one EU member state to another.

What terrifies me the most is what will happen after Brexit is completed and the country leaves the EU for good. Will this be a actuality for all travellers, either EU or non-EU that are unfortunate enough to pass through Britain in transit? 

This is the reality of stricter border controls, that many of you desired and voted for. Either in the UK, or in Austria, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Poland, France, the Netherlands and so on. This is the face of more "security," of customs checks, border controls, end of visa free travel and stricter immigration rules.

I hope you are pleased with such outcome because if the Europe you want is one of stricter immigration controls, then this is how it looks like. Hopefully it will not be extended to all EU nationals later on.

We need to appreciate what we have and enjoy in our continent and perhaps ponder; is our fear of immigrants actually so important, that we are willing to lose one of our biggest benefits as EU citizens? That of the freedom of movement. 

Greece - The Ancient Pioneer of Multiculturalism.

The rise of nationalism and xenophobia in Europe has been a reality for the past years. The economic crisis, coupled with an ongoing migrant and refugee plight, encouraged many Europeans to show their discontent towards their leaders’ policies, by voting for far-right/leftist political parties.

Countries like Austria, Italy, Holland, Germany, France and Finland have witnessed sharp gains of nationalist parties, while others like Spain faced regional nationalist organizations and autonomy movements.

The Visegrad group of Central Europe, had been united opposing the equal redistribution of the refugees and the EU's quota of migrants while in Greece, the Golden Dawn party is now the fourth most popular one, while it was only a minor party before the crisis began. Brexit is perhaps the most dramatic response to the increasing fear of immigrants. One of the oldest members of the EU has decided to leave, in fear of having to accept more immigration, both from within and outside Europe.

The overall picture does not look good, when the continent is trying to promote itself as a union or a commonwealth of nations who are working together for the betterment of all its members.

And most disturbing of all is that the rise of nationalism does not only threaten the very union and cohesion of the European Union, but it shows its ugly and brutal reality to the immigrant communities and other minorities in the EU.

Most of these nationalist, anti-EU groups' rhetoric, combined with an utter failure of the continent's governments to counteract it (if anything they promote it to divert the public’s anger towards foreigners), has transformed many European capitals into segregated communities, where tensions often rise.

We need to take a moment and think. Europe has faced numerous migration movements in the past, both from or towards its territory. The Greeks, which nowadays are conveniently reminded by the right-wing elements in their country about their impressive ancient history and the achievements of their nation, were the first to have to deal with a multiracial, multi-ethnic civilized society.

They surely forget the part of the Greek history, when their ancestors themselves have embraced cosmopolitanism and multiculturalism. In fact, the first European race of people to promote multiculturalism were the Greeks.

After the conquests of Alexander the Great to the East and the establishment of the Greek Kingdoms from the Balkans to India, the mentality of the ancient Greeks started to dramatically change.

Young Greeks migrated and colonized these new lands, promoting the Greek language and culture throughout the Hellenistic states and being influenced by many different cultures, ethnicities and religions. It was then that a new kind of social philosophy started to emerge among the Greeks, called Stoicism.

Its roots can be traced back to the very Greek capital-Athens, which now is a battleground for nationalism versus more liberal ideas, just like any other European capital. Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that was established in Athens by Zeno of Citium.

A distinctive feature of Stoicism is its cosmopolitanism. Stoicism postulates that all people are manifestations of the one universal spirit and should live in brotherly love and readily help one another. A Greek Stoic called Epictetus commented on man's relationship with the world: "Each human being is primarily a citizen of his own commonwealth; but he is also a member of the great city of gods and men, whereof the city political is only a copy."

This sentiment echoes that of Diogenes of Sinope, who said: "I am not an Athenian or a Corinthian, but a citizen of the world." The Stoics believed that external differences such as rank and wealth are of no importance in social relationships. Instead, they advocated the brotherhood of humanity and the natural equality of all human beings.

Even Alexander the Great himself, still a revered figure in Greek history, was trying to create an empire by mixing Greek and Asian elements of culture and of course the people. He married an Asian woman, Roxana and he encouraged all his officers to follow his example.

This is something that the Greek nationalists usually leave out, or conveniently forget when they preach hatred against foreigners, referencing the greatness of the Greek nation. In fact, not only do they not do any justice to it, but they are vilifying the very “greatness” that they preach.

Similarly, other nationalist parties across Europe only refer to a more one-sided story, leaving out inconvenient parts of their history. Recently archaeologists discovered Viking clothing with Islamic inscriptions, something that implies a certain level of cultural and perhaps even ethnic mingling between Nordic people and the Mediterranean.

If we take into consideration the colonial era of our continent, when Europeans traded, conquered colonized, enslaved and intermarried with the inhabitants from all other continents, then how can we now complain about globalization?

We started it, we are the ones largely responsible about the formation of the modern world. Our power struggles and cultural, religious and economic expansionism created most modern nations and not just in Europe.

Many countries in North and South America, Australasia, Africa and Asia, have been established after colonialism collapsed and they were the result of European influence. Our ideological struggles, caused two world wars, dividing the globe into two types of economic models, that all the way until the early '90s had significant influence around the planet.

Why are we surprised now that people around the world, still see Europe as a beacon of prosperity and opportunity? We cannot absorb all their numbers, but we could certainly start feeling a bit more comfortable with what we have created and promoted anywhere else; cosmopolitanism.

If Europe claims the heritage of Ancient Greece, it also needs to start admiring and studying its later days. When the Greeks before they succumbed to the Romans, begun themselves to philosophize their role and position among the human kind, giving rise to new ideologies and even religions like Christianity.

In addition, we need to start preparing for a multi-polar and more equal world. The more other regions remain poor, the more they will see migrating into Europe or the US as their only option for prosperity and the migrant flow will never stop.

To deal with it, we will have to leave protectionism behind and start walking at the footsteps of our ancestors, becoming pioneers of trade, globalists and citizens of the world. We were the ones to instigate a world with open borders and free movement, although in the past it was under our dominion.

This time we could go a step further, turning Europe into a continent at the forefront of human cultural, economic, ideological and political evolution, one that will work with others for the betterment of this world, rather remaining insecure behind closed borders.

The Importance of Integrating Europe's Migrants.

Europe’s population is becoming increasingly diverse, while its capitals true melting pots of cultures and people.

And while we are discussing how to integrate the continent’s economies and population, we seem to forget that nowadays Europe is not a homogenous region. Apart from the indigenous ethnic minorities, many people from all over the world now call Europe “home”.

If we are planning to create a diverse multicultural society, we have to discuss how to integrate these people too; they may have arrived in our continent more recently, yet they know no other home country. We can only make a progress in their integration, when we discuss openly the issues they are facing and try to find solutions. One of the main ethnic groups that still face discrimination in Europe, are individuals of African origin.

Zephrynus “Zeph” Ikeh, the founder and CEO of Africa-Irish Development Initiative Ltd (AIDI) and Project Coordinator of Black History Month Ireland (BHMI), describes how young African immigrants are coping in Ireland.

He has been living in Ireland since 2008 and he is very involved in community work. He has a different opinion on the way people view the integration process. “We cannot speak about integration when people are not included,” he says. According to him, the essence of inclusion is for people to be involved and participate in all aspects of society’s life. “I do not see that happening in the mainstream Irish society, even within the immigrant community” he describes.

Integration for Zeph means equal opportunities in education and employment, social and economic inclusion. For African migrants, the support is definitely not always there. While those who have acquired a European nationality see themselves as EU citizens, they often do not have the same opportunities to feel like one.

A big problem is the lack of information, for EU citizens in general but especially for African migrants. There may be a lot of opportunities, but the access to the information needed to avail them is an issue for everybody.

“If there were more immigrants working in government bodies, they could provide all information needed to the immigrant community” Zeph explains.

He also believes that to integrate people from different cultures there must be a creation of various platforms to encourage the integration process; in schools, in community participation projects, cultural events, intercultural festivals etc.

Zeph thinks that the EU must promote cultural diversity and that has to be extended to the immigrant communities. The club’s members are sovereign states but through the EU, Europe could collectively do more to support the integration process. For example, the media do not help much with the situation. “Often the images they use to portray immigrants or especially Africans are very stereotypical” explains Zeph. He also mentions the lack of positive role models of African or other migrant origins in European media.

In Italy a couple of years ago, there was an unacceptable incident when people racially abused the Minister for Integration Cecile Kyenge. There was just not enough condemnation by Europe, or action taken to set up an example.

Many Africans perceived that as a very tolerant stance from European governments, regarding it as racism towards politicians of African origin on our continent. If these people got away with it, then others possibly will do it, too. “Does Europe think it is a club only for white people?” asks Zeph.

“You got to understand that an immigrant is someone who has come to a place to settle, not leave after some years. A migrant is someone who has come to a place for a short time” he continues.

His opinion is that European countries treat both groups the same way and that has to be changed. Our governments must establish legislation to assist and promote the immigrants’ integration into our societies.

Bringing only Ireland as an example, Zeph thinks that the political spectrum is one very sided. “There is a stereotypical view of what is Irish or European,” he adds. But that is not only an Irish phenomenon, most EU countries struggle in integrating fully their immigrant communities. So potentially the key is a pan-European effort to eliminate discrimination.

Also, he suggests that certain steps must be taken to assist further integration. For example, there must be some effort and funding to establish media created by immigrant journalists or broadcasters, with a different opinion and content that would interest those of an ethnic background. 

There should be additional opportunities for young African immigrants to get engaged in local, national or European politics. As ignorance is the main problem that generates racism, therefore Zeph believes that through education at all its levels we could fight prejudice.

“Young Africans can contribute a lot to the Irish or European society,” Zeph describes. “There is a lot of potential talent in areas such as sport and music, but also entrepreneurship, yet they do not get access to grants so that they can develop their talents,” he continues.

Zeph brings as an example the African-American contribution to America’s arts, music and sports. He believes that Africans can offer a different perspective and act as a bridge between Africa and Ireland or Europe.

“They can definitely help change the world and create a better relationship between Europe and Africa, if only they are encouraged” Zeph concludes.

Our world is becoming increasingly multi-polar, as many new global powers are emerging in other continents, while Europe is a region with limited resources. How it treats its immigrants could potentially influence the future, help forge stronger alliances with the countries of origins of its immigrants.

In other words, Europe must decide what it wants. It is in our interests not to have second-class citizens, that feel alienated and hostile towards the societies they were born. Given the opportunity, they could become an asset, not a burden to our continent.

Europe cannot trap individuals in limbo, using them for cheap labor while hindering their progress. Immigration issues should not be ignored. European nations are becoming more xenophobic recently, but further exclusion is not the answer.

The fight for the new post-Brexit EU budget.

Britain’s exit in March next year will deprive Brussels of some 12 billion euros from an annual budget now running around 140 billion euros.

That hole has already prompted to some quarreling between other net contributors, which do not want to make up for the loss, and the Eastern states, which say they should not suffer from cuts in EU subsidies. (Irish Independent)

Günther Oettinger presented the draft EU budget for 2018 on the 30th of May, acknowledging decision-making difficulties. 

The Commissioner said that the draft budget had taken account of recommendations from the Parliament and the member states, by increasing the amounts allocated for the Erasmus+ programme, as well as for Horizon 2020. 

Also, the European Solidarity Corps, a new initiative which provides volunteering placements, traineeships and job offers for 2-12 months, is getting its own budget for the first time.

While the EU Commission labeled it an exercise in stimulating job creation for young people, boosting growth and strategic investments, for some of the bloc's members things are more complicated. (Euractiv)

Last February eight Eastern European EU countries agreed to support an increase in payments by member states in the bloc’s next long-term budget, but recently things turned a bit sourer.

The problem is that until now, the largest source of revenue in the EU’s budget is a uniform percentage levied on the gross national income (GNI) of each member country. (Irish Independent)

All this is about to change, due to a new styled budget. Warsaw and Budapest are expected to lose out on massive amounts of cash as Brussels proposes to move tens of billions of euros in EU funding away from central and Eastern Europe to the countries worse hit by the financial crisis, such as Spain and Greece. 

The aim of the plan is to support the less developed parts of the union as Brussels does not want to continue distributing cash just based on a country’s wealth or GDP. Cash given to countries will depend on different criteria such as youth unemployment, education, the environment and innovation. (Express)

In addition to the above alteration of EU's priorities, the Commission, backed by Germany, France and the EU’s other wealthy budget contributors, want to tie funding on which poorer eastern countries rely to respect for the rule of law. This could cost Hungary and Poland millions of euros.

The two countries found themselves in the bad books of EU, after a series of misconducts. First, it was their rebellion against the bloc's migrant quota, in order to deal with the refugee crisis. In addition, their shift to more authoritarian government and the reformation of their judiciary system, did not go down very well with the rest of the EU.

There have been many calls from top European politicians to cut funds towards these two nations, or even limiting some of their voting power in the Council of EU. While there is a justification in such calls, as EU membership comes with certain obligations, the danger here is from where these two countries will seek to cover the gap in their income.

Poland has already hinted at allowing more US bases to settle in its territory, no doubt with further US financial support, while Hungary is known to flirt with Russian elites and influence. Can the EU push these two countries further away from its core? 

By May, the prime ministers of Hungary and Poland, allies in their disputes with Brussels, united in opposing cuts under the European Union’s new budget. The EU plan is set clearly to cut money in the 2021-2027 budget for member states that interfere in their legal systems. Poland and Hungary however, insist on protecting the interests of their farmers. (Reuters)

These two countries are not the only ones which may be heavily affected by the new budget. Ireland’s annual contribution to the EU budget is likely to rise to over €3 billion, more than 50 percent above the current level.

However, the budget is framed around cuts to farming subsidies that the Irish economy is dependent on. In an effort to cut costs and promote other policies, farmers will see aid shrink in the 2021-2027 period to €365 billion, down 5 percent from the current Common Agriculture Policy budget.

Something that France too, by far the largest beneficiary of CAP, has already signaled their opposition to the proposed cutbacks in farm spending. (Irish Times)

From the Irish point of view, there is a concern on contributing more, if it means more funds going towards security and less on agriculture.

Ireland, a country that is neutral, may have to be spending money on European defense, while at the same time cutting the backbone of its economy by the reductions to CAP. For its farmers and many of its MEPs, that is an issue. (RTE)

It is really regretful that many countries want to hold on to what already exists. Reforms are always painful and bring challenges, yet they are necessary to progress and deal with the increasingly fluctuant reality that Europe finds itself in.

From Brexit to American change of foreign policy under Trump, increased security issues and immigration, a multipolar world with many emerging economies and blocs, or the assertiveness of China and Russia, Europe is faced with many challenges.

The Common Agriculture Policy has always been a great source of income for Europe's farmers, and a pillar of the European economy. Yet things are constantly changing and like everything, it has to be reformed, in order to adapt. Europe cannot rely forever largely on agriculture.

EU policies must reflect the needs of Europe's economy and political reality, which have been changing for many decades now. Thus, we need to keep updating them. Naturally, any drastic alteration always leaves some losers while others as winners. However, this shift is necessary.

We need to diversify our economy, both as individual member states and collectively as a continent, in order to prepare our future generations for the world that is coming. With America becoming an unreliable partner, we have to start looking after ourselves.

This budget is only the beginning. As some states will lose out from CAP, the richer nations must realize that the smaller, poorer ones will need a new different type of funds and support, in order to keep their economy thriving, by investing directly in these countries.

Thus, a further integration of the European economy is much needed and the solution. And while rich member states like Germany oppose and block this development, it will come a day that even they won't be able to stop it, unless they are ready to see the disintegration or further fragmentation of the block.

The best way to deal with disobedient member states like Hungary and Poland, or weaker economies like Greece and Irish or French over-reliance on CAP, is to modernize, diversify and harmonize further the European economy. If everyone has a secure flow of investments to achieve this, the quarreling will soothe out, while in addition there will be less foreign interference in EU, as there will be a lesser need for third-party cash.

In other words, if every EU member state is wealthy and has a stable economy, the more engaged and committed it will be with the bloc and its requirements. In theory at least. Inequality on financial terms, protectionism within Europe, conservatism and petty nationalism will have to give way for the greater good of the continent, in order to achieve collectively bigger achievements. European countries must finally decide which direction they want to follow and this budget hints of hopeful changes. 

An interview with former Irish MEP, Gay Mitchell.

Gay Mitchell is an Irish politician who was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the Dublin constituency on 11 June 2004. 

He was a member of Fine Gael, a part of the European People's Party, and a former Teachta Dála (TD) for the Dublin South–Central constituency from 1981–2007.

In a past interview with him, we discussed the impact of the economic crisis in Europe on the future of our continent.

“We really got to look at the history of Europe”, notes Mr. Mitchell, as he describes how the EU is all about peace and stability in our continent. About 60 million Europeans killed each other during the first half of the last century. A small number of people came together after that and had the vision of building European interdependence.

Sadly, the citizens’ trust and confidence citizens towards the EU institutions were badly damaged by the economic crisis in Europe. “What is different about this crisis is that we now are going through a golden era”, he continues. The Berlin wall has come down, and eleven former communist states have joined the ever-widening and deepening block.

“I know that many people across Europe are suffering because of the crisis. But if you compare what happened back in the ‘20s and ‘30s, things were much worse. Now we got these institutions and they are trying to help. When we look back at this era, we will say that our relationship got us through the worse financial crisis the world has seen since the ‘20s and we’ve weathered it”, M. Mitchell adds.

He also believes that we are wrong to be talking about austerity in Europe. Instead, we should be talking about solidarity - country to country and person to person.

“But we are too near the wood to see the trees. The real problem we have in Europe is lack of solidarity. And I do not just mean the German solidarity with the Greeks and the Irish. I mean solidarity between people - all of us who can afford to give, should give” he continues.

According to M Mitchell, the fall of the Berlin is the source of the problem. At the time, the question was whether Europe would end up with a Germanic Europe or a European Germany. Mr. Kohl and Mr. Mitterrand decided, in a very statesmanlike way, that it would be a European Germany – and the common currency was born.

Abolishing the German mark and the French franc was not easy. The European currency was not well-founded, and when the crisis came, Europe was not able to deal with it because it did not have a central fiscal control.

“But now we have all these foundations, so that when we come out of this, we will do so stronger”, believes Mr. Mitchell “In the meantime, we should remember that the EU is about interdependence and solidarity”.

“The EU is not without its faults and sometimes it will drive you crazy, but so is the Irish political system which it is not without its faults. No political system is perfect. But it really is an extraordinary exercise”, he continues.

He also believes that the more Europe there is, the better it is for small member states. More inter-governmentalism just allows Germany, France and Britain to lead the agenda. When Germany and France broke the stability pack, nothing happened, so it is unfair of them to lecture the peripheral countries. We all make mistakes. The EU Commission is here to protect the Treaties, which are agreed by all member states. The interests of all nations must be taken into account in the European process.

Some like to say that the European continent is set to become the “United States of Europe”. But in reality, this process does not have a name. “In political science, there are terms of federalism and confederalism but what we are doing is unique. The Queen of England won’t disappear and neither will the President of Ireland”, Mr. Mitchell explains. The EU is a new, unique political entity which we are building by mutual agreement and this, along with how successful it has been, is the remarkable part of it.

The Lisbon Treaty brought about a more considerable change in the balance of power in Europe that people realize. The European Parliament (EP) has become really powerful, in European terms. “We don’t do what the national parliaments should do; therefore MEPs should be a bit more accountable”, he notes.

 “I’d like to see some process whereby MEPs and the work that we actually do gets more coverage and exposure, but also more questioning and debate”, Mr. Mitchell says.

“Europe is changing fast and the developments are happening because we are planning our future. The world is moving Eastwards and Southwards. When the USA, Russia, but also China, Brazil and India will be powerful, we will be 6% of the world’s population, so we can’t speak with 28 voices in those circumstances”, he explains.

The EU is already planning for that and its institutions are what allows Europe to be heard. The block already has one spokesman for foreign affairs, a permanent head of the European Council and an external action service.

“Have a look at the picture of the EU Parliament in Strasburg. It is architecturally designed like an unfinished building, because the EU is a work in progress. We are deciding all this together. It is an extraordinary democratic process”, Mr. Mitchell describes.

“It is a great thing that the European nations cooperate in this. I think that this whole exchange of cultures and people is a great thing, it as it has enriched us all”, he adds.

Of course, it is now the ECB who sets the interest rates and decides on the value of our common currency. “But we have a feed in the ECB through the European system of Central Banks and in time we might have an Irish Governor of the ECB. That is far better for us than when the British were setting our interest rates, as it happened when Ireland had the pound”, he notes.

“People have to realize that within the institutions of the EU there has been a shift of power, and somehow the European Parliament needs to become as accountable as the US Congress. When they think of an MEP, they should think of a Congressman. And the only way we can achieve that is actually by giving more coverage to what the EP does, so people will be aware of its work. Who are our Commissioners and our MEPs matters.” Mr. Mitchell believes.

Yet any serious political business is very hard to get coverage for. “I remember what a prominent RTE journalist told me years ago. If you want to close a newsroom in the RTE, send a news-story about Northern Ireland or Europe. These two were the two most important policy issues for us at the time”, he says.

“But the only thing that made the media aware was a bomb in Northern Ireland, and that’s not the media’s fault. When they start broadcasting serious stuff, people switch stations”, he adds.

The EU has to engage the people somehow, and make them want to know more. Maybe something needs to be done in the area of public sector broadcasting, so that people could switch on and listen directly. Europe needs to find a way of communicating issues to the people.

European citizens, on the other hand, must not just be defensive of their country, but participate and have a say. Express what their view is on where Europe has to be. Collectively, we should be building coalitions with other EU nations and work on sorting out things.

“We are doing an examination of what and how the Troika did, when dealing with the economic crisis. There were mistakes made and wrong things done, but the government at the time and the one that succeeded it, fell themselves at a sort of “3 o clock in the morning” scenario and so did the EU”, Mr. Mitchell explains.

“If everybody had full hindsight I think there are a number of things that could have been done differently. For example a bail-in rather than a bail-out, that would be there for everybody. There are still some issues that I think really need to be renegotiated. The government here is doing remarkably well in the economic area and they are winning the war. They did not win every battle of course”, he adds.

Mr. Mitchell suggests that Ireland and other countries under a bail-out program will not get the money back from the people they paid, but the EU has to look at it again. “We all participated in that decision, which was not perfect and so there must be a revision”, he says.

We are lucky that we had the right institutions in Europe. The deputy governor of the British Bank of England made a speech about their importance. They made a difference this time, in Europe’s battle with the crisis.

“The Markets threw everything at us; they tried to bring the single currency down. Do you know what the implosion of the currency would mean? The implosion of the union, because barriers then would go up, people would start devaluing their currencies for competitive advantage and then the single market would fall apart”, Mr. Mitchell explains.

The consequences of that would be similar to what happened to Yugoslavia. Peace and stability are what the EU is about, building economic interdependence and then prosperity can follow. And not just in Europe, but in the world.

Gay Mitchell will not be running for the 2014 European elections. After ten years in the European Parliament and 26 years in the Dail (the Irish House of Representatives), he decided that it is a good time to go and focus on other things that he wants to do.

 “I feel very privileged to have been an MEP and I loved the job in the EP. I have had an influence and a say. I found it hard in ways because it is very difficult for small states to break through and get higher jobs. It was lonely at times, ten years of not being at home with my family. Because when you are finishing in the Parliament in Strasburg, you got to go and visit other places”.

“One of the most interesting and influential jobs I have held is as an MEP. I can persuade other people, the Commission, as well as the Ministers, want to talk to you when you are an MEP, depending on what Committee you are on”, he says.

Shaping Europe from the bottom up.

Building a democratic European project and European identity requires shaping Europe from the bottom up: that is the challenge for Europe today.

The idea of shaping Europe from the bottom up was at the heart of the discussion surrounding the Closing Conference of the European Year of Citizens 2013, in Vilnius, Lithuania.

During this workshop, the importance of European identity, as well as the process through which to shape it, were the primary topics of discussion. Initiatives such as encouraging the participation of students in various exchange programs, the increase in mobility for all European Union citizens, and the engagement of EU citizens in voluntary projects across Europe were all acknowledged as key factors in creating such an identity.

“We should learn how to combine our national identity with our European one,” was one of the main ideas put forward in this event. In order for that process to take place, not only should the EU invest in a new self-image campaign but the important role of local communities in promoting an active European citizenship should also be acknowledged and encouraged.

One of the main obstacles in achieving this combination of identities is the common practice, among local and national politicians, to use the EU and its institutions as scapegoats in justifying their policy failures, while taking credit, exclusively, for every success case.

One issue brought up in the discussion was the importance of culture and how it positively impacts in building a sense of common European identity. Neither the single currency nor the single market can ever unite a mosaic of nations in such a way as the promotion of a constant cultural dialogue and exchange.

A need for a new participatory strategy

Certain new tools recently introduced by the EU Commission, such as the European Citizens' Initiative, were also discussed and explained to participants. The EU Commission seems to support a new type of participatory strategy, built from the bottom up, aimed at encouraging a more active participation of citizens in European politics, providing them with new participatory mechanisms, such as the ECI.

The main purpose of such initiatives is to create a forum for Europeans to debate, citizens to be heard and fulfill the potential of their EU citizenship. Initiatives such as the ECI have the potential to become agenda-setting tools, in the cases which they are broadly embraced by European civil society and the issues they put forward are debated and lead to concrete policy changes.

Various surveys conducted in Italy, but also at a supranational pan-European level, enquired citizens as to their expectations regarding the EU’s work and their aspirations for Europe. The overwhelming majority of respondents referred to employment, security and the guarantee of a sustainable exploitation of national resources.

Throughout 2013, at least eight citizens’ dialogues were organized in Italy and many others across Europe, debating the future of each region. The main idea put forward by the Commission was that, if citizens were disgruntled with Europe, this was mainly due to its policies being negatively perceived and communicated by national governments.

Sadly, Europe does not have enough funding available, in the form of a considerable independent budget, for instance, that would allow it to implement the policies that would respond most effectively to people’s needs.

One Europe, equal citizenship rights

One fundamental issue raised during this debate concerned the voting rights of those Europeans living in other EU member states: the initiative “Let Me Vote” focuses on the limitations that many expatriates experience while residing in an EU member state outside of their own. These citizens contribute towards the economic and social fabric of their new countries, yet do not often enjoy the same rights as natives. Being able to fully exercise the same rights in all member state is a fundamental condition in encouraging the free movement of citizens and reshaping Europe.

Many lose their right to vote in their national Parliamentary elections, after having lived abroad for a certain number of years. Under current national legislation norms, they are also not allowed to vote in the Parliamentary elections in their new country of residence (although they can vote for local and European elections).

Mr. Philippe Cayla, President of Euronews Development, presented this situation to participants, arguing that voting rights across Europe should not be made dependent upon nationality.

All EU citizens must have the right to vote in the countries of their residence. “Europe already registers a very low voter turnout in every European election and we must be committed to improving that record”, he said. Such move would give a “full sense of a European identity and the notion that EU citizens are not immigrants”.

Building a European identity through a mobile population

On a more positive note, participants at this Closing Conference mentioned that interest in European politics is higher among mobile citizens, or people who have migrated to another EU country. Being mobile is a life-changing experience and these people become the best ambassadors for EU and Europe.

Mobility within Europe is crucial in creating a European identity and extended voting rights, or the lack of them, is certainly a limitation to the rights of EU citizens. “Besides, if we want to promote greater pluralism and elite rotation in each country, the inclusion of other EU nationals in the election debates and campaigns, as well in the decision-making process, could be very positive,” Mr. Cayla continued.

One of the main obstacles Europe is faced with, when encouraging its citizens to participate in European affairs, is their general lack of interest in public life. This problem is largely connected with the deterioration of elites’ political legitimacy as perceived by different European public opinions and a consequent detachment of public life.

As they move from country to country, they not only become increasingly aware of different national issues and ways in which they could be resolved, but also of transnational issues that affect their home country, the countries they have settled into, and even Europe in general. Thus, one of the most effective ways for Europe to increase citizen participation in European politics is to encourage people to work, study and travel abroad.

There is a general lack of ownership of the EU project on behalf of its citizens, which can possibly be demonstrated by a lack of overall intra-European mobility. The absence of coordination and synchronization between national institutions and organizations from different member states is to be blamed, and that is where the efforts in finding solutions must start.

At the moment, only an estimate of 2% of Europe’s population is either mobile or dislocated in another EU member-state, which explains why not enough legislation and change has taken place, since these people are a minority. Increasing awareness of European issues is easier with a mobile population, which is accustomed to thinking outside of its own national reality.

The political culture of Europeans is changing and must endure further changes in the upcoming future. Increased public responsibility, awareness and fulfillment of our duties as citizens must be cultivated and upheld, in order to make the European decision-making process and its institutions more democratic.

Now that the economic crisis has started to impact on increasingly more EU households, people demand to be heard and consulted throughout the decision-making process of their governments. Therefore, Europe finds itself at a critical juncture, a moment of transition.

Citizens do have the power to organize themselves to demand being heard and to call for change, as the cases of Ukraine, Bulgaria but also Poland and other recently-joined EU member states continue to show us. Naturally, online public consultations do not pose a lasting or successful solution, as they are often non-binding. Therefore, in order for change to happen, citizens must take things more seriously with further actions.

The power of communication

Europeans do not always understand what the EU does and how it affects their lives, or what its consultations mean. This is yet another obstacle that the EU faces when trying to communicate its functions, procedures and decisions to its citizens. Simpler vocabulary, repetitiveness and commitment must be applied to mitigate this problem.

The fact that Europe struggles to “sell” itself, particularly the European Union institutions, to its own citizens was another topic discussed at this forum. Using Italy as a case in point, Mr. Alessandro Giordani, Head of the sector “Communication, information and networks” of the EU Commission Representation Office in Rome, explained some of the main obstacles Europe is currently faced with.

“The economic crisis has changed the environment and attitude dramatically, for any attempts to promote Europe as a solution to its citizens,” he stated. The EU Commission needs to change the process through which has been presenting Europe to populations up until now.

In other words, a lot of work must be undertaken in reshaping our continent from the bottom up.  But “if we do not change ourselves and our tools, the world will force us to change,” as Andris Gobins, the President of the European Movement in Latvia, stated, closing the debate.

The world is changing fast and Europe must be ready for change and be prepared to keep up with the rest of the world. Failing to do so, will mean fewer opportunities for our future generations, minimizing Europe’s role in an ever increasing globalized world.