Bringing people together
10 years of the European Citizens’ Initiative
20 years of the euro in circulation
30 years of the Maastricht Treaty signature
30 years of Natura 2000
30 years of the European Humanitarian Aid Office
35 years of Erasmus
60 years of the Common Agricultural Policy
70 years of the Treaty of Paris
70 years of the EU Court of JusticeI was introduced to someone who understood and promoted the democracy of the EU by Helen De Cruz. Helen holds the Danforth Chair in the Humanities at Saint Louis University. It was her predecessor James Bohman who wrote about, as Helen put it, ‘a new conception of democracy beyond the old idea of nation states, a transnational concept. The main idea here is that democracy should no longer be thought in the singular as rule by the people (dêmos), singular, with a specific territorial identification and connotation, but as rule by peoples (dêmoi), across national boundaries’ … in other words, diversity within a Union.
James Bohman
(Photo Brown University Library)
It seems ironic to me that Helen, an EU citizen, is now teaching at SLU, where James, an American was writing about the EU! Jim Bohman died on 9th January 2021, and sharing some of his thoughts is by way of obituary to him and his encouragement of our European project.
Bohman was clear that one of the first things to remember is that the EU is an ongoing project, it is a commitment to ‘bringing the peoples of Europe together in a closer Union’. It is a work in progress not a complete and completed political entity. It is also something new within the world, and as such some of the words and concepts thought of as defining things, for example the word democracy, are inadequate for this project. Redefining words like democracy create warmth and excitement for some and fear for others. It’s not that democracy will be eliminated, far from it, but a new bigger and better form more appropriate to the 21st century is emerging.
He was keen that the EU should continue to promote innovation in its structures and not try to replicate a typical modern nation-state. He is arguing that not only is the EU not a country but it should not try to become one. He saw the purpose of the EU as ‘fundamentally republican and [one that] can be formulated in terms of the proper normative relations between freedom and interdependence.’ Indeed, freedom and interdependence are two words we cherish as EU citizens.
He argues that larger geopolitical entities based on non-domination of others create more democratic representation for smaller dêmoi than small ones do. That our member states range from less than half a million to over 80 million demonstrates this. Any of those member states may use their veto within certain criteria. Even a single province of Belgium ended up vetoing the entire EU-USA trade agreement! As he puts it, ‘It can be shown that existing practices of the EU exhibit particular institutional structures of cooperation to take advantage of the dispersal of power and deliberation in multi-levelled and polycentric polities.’
In this new supranational entity of the European Union the constitutional rule of law is not about limiting the possibility of tyranny but within the Union, it is about limiting domination.
Bohman argues that ‘European practices of governance are already “heterarchical”: authority is neither centralized nor decentralized, but shared.’ Thus ‘More than simply adding a layer of authority, it is rather a matter of redefining the relationship among the local, the national, and the supranational levels of scale.’
Critics of the EU see it as close to the 18th century philosopher Immanuel Kant’s global cosmopolitan political community which he described as ‘soulless despotism’. However, the EU is far from this because, as Bohman states, a modern cosmopolitan political community should not be organised in a state like manner and indeed the EU is not! Those criticising are often trying to evaluate using state like models. Although the European Commission might appear to be the faceless bureaucrats of a civil service it is not in reality a larger scale replication of a typical modern state.
The European Union is an exciting yet safe place for its citizens. It is leading the world in demonstrating a new way to do democracy, not abolishing the nation-state nor removing the unique cultures of them but creating a 21st century way forward. Of course it’s not perfect, no human institution ever is, but it has the possibility of being a model for other parts of our world based on a solid philosophical base.
Helen De Cruz summed it up: ‘Bohman’s work in any case shows how important nuanced philosophical thought is for figuring out how to live together. In fact, it’s not that philosophy is some add-on. It’s always there, it’s what Mary Midgley calls the “philosophical plumbing” of our societies. If we’re unreflective of the plumbing, then our societies will deteriorate. I loved how Bohman, who didn’t live in the EU helped to think how the EU could realize its ideals best.’
Helen De Cruz can be contacted through her website http://helendecruz.net/
Bohman, J. (2004). Constitution Making and Democratic Innovation. European Journal of Political Theory, 3(3), 315–337. https://sci-hub.st/https://doi.org/10.1177/1474885104043586
Misinformation and disinformation in the health space are thriving, including on COVID-19. It is important that you rely only on authoritative sources to get updated information on the COVID-19 outbreak.
Ursula von der Leyen explains in a very level headed way what we must do.
Today is the 9th EU Energy Day and is part of the EU side events at the World Future Energy Summit in United Arab Emirates. It will feature the European Green Deal. The EU is on the road to becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent!
There will be a chance to discuss the new policy proposals under the Green Deal, such as
The organisers claim ‘The event will be a meeting place for European research institutions and innovative cleantech companies to share their breakthrough technologies, clean energy solutions, and its upcoming initiatives. The goal is to share knowledge and expertise with international partners and give networking opportunities to businesses, innovators and investors.’
‘Transport accounts for a quarter of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and still growing. To achieve climate neutrality, a 90% reduction in transport emissions is needed by 2050.‘
The ‘European Green Deal’ is a probably the most ambitious project of this century, and assuming I reach the ages of my grandparents, something I will see!
The plan is for zero net carbon emissions by 2050 with a full transformation of our economy. This will involve massive investments of €260 bn per year. There is ‘carrot and stick too’ — tough measures against third countries that produce cheaper but carbon-intensive goods.
Most of my work since 1990 has been connected in some way with the development of the European Union, its policies, its enlargement and its trade agreements. In other words, the European Union has become a fairly central part of my sense of identity.
When my own country (the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) set itself on the path towards leaving the EU, I found myself becoming stressed to the point of cracking because of one simple fact: I know too much about the realities of EU policy and trade agreements to enable me to accept the situation in the UK. I needed a period of time in which to detach myself from the day-to-day political goings-on in my country, so as to be able to relax and get things in perspective.
Suceava is the administrative capital of Suceava county (Judeţul Suceava) in northeast Romania. I had visited it very briefly in 1992, for work purposes, and again in 2018 when my wife and I spent three days there on vacation. The city itself is unremarkable, though pleasant enough; its attraction as a tourist destination derives from the beautiful painted monasteries of the Bucovina region in which it lies.
I chose Romania as my country of sojourn for one very practical reason: I speak Romanian fairly fluently as a consequence of getting on for nine years’ cumulative work experience in the country. I did not know Suceava particularly well, so there would be a certain challenge in getting used to a new city. It had the merit of being on the cheaper side of average for the main Romanian cities. Most of all, though, it offered the chance to get to know better one of the local churches that we had attended while on holiday in 2018.
I rented a comfortable but fairly basic Airbnb apartment in Suceava’s Strada George Enescu. It had everything I needed to continue my work for the two charities with which I’m involved, was within easy walking distance of two supermarkets and a Kaufland hypermarket and had a very nice pizzeria only a couple of hundred metres away. Its staff never failed to make me feel welcome. It would require only a fifteen minute walk to get me to the city centre.
I was met at Suceava airport by the pastor of the church that my wife and I had visited in 2018, which cushioned the impact to some degree. My immediate reaction on being left alone in the apartment at close to midnight on 27th October 2019 was to ask myself what on earth I was doing. Here I was, in an unfamiliar apartment, in an unfamiliar city in a fairly way-out part of Romania, for no other reason than that I had chosen to come here. Seven weeks of food shopping, cooking, washing, ironing and all the usual stuff lay ahead of me. I felt better after buying a stack of food in the local Kaufland because it reassured me that my language skills were good enough to avoid any comment about my origins. “I’m still in the European Union” I thought to myself “and if I do get into trouble I have friends here.”
I settled quickly into a routine of shopping, walking around the city, cooking (or eating out if I felt lazy) and laundry. I had frequent video meetings with colleagues associated with my charity work. Communication with my family could not have been simpler, thanks to the absence of any mobile phone roaming charges within the EU. Such a pleasant change from “the olden days”! The weather was for the most part very pleasant although we did have one very cold snap about four weeks into the period.
It took me a couple of days to attune my ear properly to the local accent but from then on I had absolutely no problem with communication. Nobody with whom I spoke, who did not already know that I’m British, made any comment, more probably out of politeness than because of the quality of my spoken Romanian. The apartment had no oven, only a gas hob and a microwave; so cooking sometimes involved a bit of experimentation. Nevertheless, overall I ate pretty well and the availability of good, cheap wine was a bonus.
I found myself very much welcomed into three churches: Baptist churches in Suceava and Câmpulung Moldovenesc and an independent free church (Calea Bucuriei) in Iaşi. It seemed almost axiomatic that I would be asked to speak on each occasion or even asked to play the piano. I met some truly lovely people in those churches, who made me feel so at home that I quickly forgot the stresses that had driven me to Romania in the first place. One of the legacies of my visit to Câmpulung was a Romanian language version of one of my pieces of published choral music. Thank you, Ilie and Mihaela, for providing me with the inspiration to complete this and thank you, Mihaela, for making my day by describing my Romanian as “exquisite”!
Never at any point in my sojourn did anyone treat me as a foreigner. Never. Not even once. I had various ad hoc conversations with people in supermarkets, in stations, on trains, in taxis, in restaurants and in the apartment itself (with my Airbnb cleaning lady, who has been a real gem): and as far as I am able to judge, people regarded me as just another Romanian, albeit one who might have lived abroad for several years. It wasn’t just the language although obviously a person with less than fluent Romanian would have a different experience in some respects. It seemed to me that there was a genuine sense of “being in this together”. Many people expressed grave concern regarding the political situation in the UK and quite rightly so in my opinion. Yet the overall feeling was one of exhilaration, of enthusiasm for a shared set of values even if the implementation might be flawed. I can say with my hand on my heart that I felt truly at home. I lost count of the number of times that people encouraged me to buy a house here.
Yes, I missed my wife and family. I would be less than human if that were not so. In compensation I learned that the European community (sic) is very real – if you will open your mind, set aside any preconceptions and interact with people as people, just like you and me.
You’ve got to love Suceava.
I travelled back to the UK on 14th December 2019. A few days later the front doorbell rang here at our home in the west of England. It was an Amazon guy, who needed a photo ID in order to deliver a bottle of whisky. My passport was still in the hall, so I showed it to the man, explaining that I’d just got back from Romania. “Really?” he said, “I was born in Romania.” I switched into Romanian. “Where from?” I asked. “Iaşi” he replied. I told him (still in Romanian) that I was in Iaşi a few weeks ago. “So how come you speak such good Romanian? I mean, it’s not just good it’s … grammatically perfect!” I told him I’ve worked in Romania on and off since 1990, adding that I’d just spent seven weeks in Suceava. He looked totally bemused. “I was born in Suceava” he said. I told him that I had an apartment on Strada George Enescu. At this point he was silent for half a minute, staring at me. Then he said, “I was born in Strada George Enescu.”
