Bloomberg
December 15, 2011
The European system is crippled by contradictions and tensions between member states and the European Union apparatus; among the member states; and between peoples and elites. Worse, in most countries, the conflicts over these issues are no longer structured around traditional political divisions and parties, but now cut across them.
National political groupings have split into pro-European and anti-EU factions, and even those who favor greater integration are critical of the present state of affairs.
Meanwhile, the public has soured on the European project. This is largely because of the increasing disconnect between the national parties’ electoral programs and the policies that EU membership compels governments to enact once they are in power.
This public skepticism is well-founded: Parties and their leaders have little or no say in decisions that are made by European authorities. As a result, the citizens of democratic member states are negatively affected by a system in which it’s unclear who is in charge and accountable.
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