Cyprus And "Nee" it is...

cannedmoose · professor

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4601439.stm

magikthrill · lecturer

for a brit not so euroskeptic huh moose Wink

cannedmoose · professor

Nope, rarely feel like a Brit these days to be honest Thrill... haven't really hung around with British people since I left school more than a decade ago... Laughing

sk · instructor

i am against it....for immigration reasons,political reasons and financial reasons!

garbitsch · lecturer

I voted yes. As a Eurocentric, I feel discusting but still I believe EU is much better than nation state concept. Wink

Agios Amvrosios · instructor

I predict that old Europe will vote against it and new Europe will vote for it. It is new Europe which will reinvigorate Europe- Old Europe has become cynical and middle aged.

magikthrill · lecturer

sk · instructor

well,new europe only wants the money from eu,nothing more....they dont bother about anything else!i live in "new europe "so i can definately say this without hesitation.(maybe not the people but their goverments).its already been 15 years since the fall of communism and i am afraid the changes in east europe are not fast enough.....they may had communism but they had the infrastructure to develop the economy,they didnt do it......western europe had its infrastructure destroyed during second world war,but 15 years later it was back on track.....
anyway i think brussels are moving very fast for european integration,they should slow down.10 new mostly poor countries were accepted last year,give it time,4-5 years,let them adjust before you bring a new change.....
an example=right now there are more than 600 hungarian doctors applying to go to western european countries,in a proffession where in the west it is fully saturated......italy doesnt accept foreigners for training as doctors bc of lack of places,in spain there are 2 applicants minimum for each postgraduate place in medicine,its a miracle if as a doctor you get a place in austria and the story goes on.....
so i continue with my example.....would you as a doctor,which is a proffession well paid,with such a competition for a place accept foreigners to get these few places bc they will work for less money?hell not!immigration must be controlled by individual countries,brussels cannot take decisions concerning any state bc simply they dont care enough.........they have to wait,give it time so that almost every state has reached an adequate level of prosperity before they try to move forward.......
the idea of a more united,stronger europe is welcomed but its being done very fast and in the wrong way.......

cannedmoose · professor

The sole reason that I voted yes is that we need a solid foundation upon which to establish a Union of 25, 27, 28 countries... without this, we'll continue to have an inordinate number of treaties and agreements governing how things operate.

HOWEVER...

I also think that those who constructed this Constitution have their heads up their own backsides. The EU is more than ever before an elite project, where the aspirations of the elite in Brussels are increasingly distanced from those of the people in the Member States. As a consequence, the French and the Dutch have decided to point out to the Brussocrats that the EU should consult its people before indulging itself in such grand projects. Giscard D'Estaigne is a prime example of a European grandee who is totally divorced from the reality of everyday life in the EU. If the leaders in the Commission actually listened to the people, they might have more credibility than certain national leaders who consistently demonstrate a total lack of care for their people's wishes.

Hopefully these no's won't be an end to the Constitution but will force the Union to go back and say to itself, what is it that people really want from the Union? What is our purpose? What are our natural boundaries? How can we ensure that we bring the people back into the project?

To do this, they'll have to actually undertake a consultation exercise, not just make assumptions about what all 450million of us want. And about time too...

p.s. This is coming from a Euro-supporter, so God only knows what more sceptical souls would say about this...

michalis5354 · lecturer

Counries should be free to exit from the Union at any time! I cant see any reason why should they keep staying in the union and simultanioulsy not embracing the unions values ! The target of becoming the most competitive economy by 2010 can not be met!