Is the European Union doomed to fail? So far it looks like the member states of the European Union (EU) have chosen to widen their borders instead of further deepening their economic and political integration. Though the Euro, the region’s monetary system, did well for a while, its future has been threatened since the world economic crisis of 2008. The region’s largest economies, like Germany, have been throwing money at Greece in order to stave off a looming economic crisis, but how long can they be expected to continue with Greek bailouts? According to the BBC, Britain’s joint committee on the government’s national security strategy (NSS) reported that a full or partial collapse of the Euro was plausible and that political unrest and a rise in economic migration numbers to the UK could result. The mere fact that the United Kingdom believes the EU may fail speaks volumes for how much it has weakened.
The Euro, which had become such a strong currency it rivaled the American dollar, was created in 1999 and started circulation in 2002. During the recent global financial crisis first Greece, then Ireland and Portugal suffered from major debt issues and had to be bailed out by the European Central Bank (ECB). Soon after, Ireland, Portugal, and Spain also suffered debt disaster. So far, all previously affected States have avoided disaster, but Greece cannot seem to solve their economic problems. The Greek economy has weakened so much that they were recently forced to ask their bond holders to trade in their current bonds for others worth only half as much. In reality, Greece’s bondholders had no choice. If they did not trade their bonds for their weaker alternatives, they may have faced a complete loss of the money they invested. If these investors did not agree to the trade, Athens would not have received its new bailout. That nightmare was averted because the investors agreed to the bond swap. Now Greece stands to receive another bailout from the EU and the international monetary fund (IMF), so it remains afloat and does not default on its current loans.
In order to receive this new bailout they have already implemented austerity measures which have weakened their economy further and slowed their ability to recover even more, so it is very unlikely their economy will pick up in the near future. The fact that they may be forced to leave the Eurozone has been discussed, but Greece’s economy isn’t the only one susceptible to disaster. Italy and Spain might be next. Although Berlin’s economy is strong, it will be unable to bailout every EU country in need. Graham Summers, on Global Research, reported that the German government has passed legislation that may allow it to leave the Eurozone, but remain in the EU, and protected its banks by creating a €480 billion wall. If the zone’s weakest economies do not pull out of this slump Germany may be forced to abandon the Euro in order to save its own economy. The Euro without Germany, its economic workhorse, will surely fail.
The European Union isn’t only having economic difficulties. According to a report by al-Jazeera, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France would withdraw from the Schengen zone if no actions are taken to limit illegal immigration. This comes after the French President’s most recent comment that France has too many foreigners. The Schengen Agreement voided any internal border controls allowing for easier travel from one country to another inside the zone. While travel throughout the EU was made easier, the States along the union’s border were supposed to strengthen their border controls with non-members.
There have been several instances where EU States have threatened to close their borders. Denmark closed theirs in 2011 in order to halt illegal immigration and organized crime but they were reopened later that year after a new government was elected. After the Tunisian revolution, Italy gave temporary permits to many Tunisian migrants. These permits allowed them to travel throughout the EU. However, France and Germany did not want these migrants to enter their countries, so they threatened to reinstate border controls.
Once illegal immigrants enter the European Union, they will more than likely move to the States with the strongest economies so they will have a better chance of obtaining a job. Currently, the strongest economies in the EU are Germany and France which are already having difficulties integrating their immigrants into the streamlined German or French societies. If they continue to be bombarded with new arrivals the possibilities of creating a cohesive society will become increasingly difficult. One of the main issues is that many immigrants into the EU are devout Muslim and most States in the EU are highly secular. They do not want to accommodate new religious rules or customs into their public life because they want religion hidden away in the private sphere.
Regardless of the difficulties that arise when European States attempt to integrate their newest arrivals, the fact that many immigrants are entering into the EU illegally is of a major concern. Governments set up proper channels for immigration so they can control which types of people enter their population. There are specific sectors of the workforce that are in need of new employees and others that have no openings. Especially in Europe, where there are many government programs to help the poor, unemployed, etc. there must be extreme government control so the government and its taxpayers do not become overwhelmed by a large, poor sector of their population. If nothing is done to stem illegal immigration into the EU then France and other States may be forced to exit the Schengen agreement.
What is the European Union without free population movement and a shared monetary system? The EU’s predecessor, the European Coal and Steel Community, was founded on the basis of economic integration. One currency for all members was merely a natural continuation of their further incorporation. The idea behind free movement of people in the union was also a continuation of that goal. If these principles were suddenly abandoned I fail to see how the European Union will survive.
