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About the EU:
Did You Know?
That the
12 stars on the EU flag aren’t meant to represent each
member—and so don’t change with each wave of expansion. The
number was considered politically neutral. Some Europeans see the
figure as signifying unity and perfection because of the 12
apostles, 12 hours in the day and the 12 signs of the zodiac.
That
the EU, post-expansion, has 25 members and a population of 450
million.
That the EU—even though it
didn’t get its current name until 1993—recognizes May 9, 1950,
as the birthday of the organization. It was on that day that
French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman broached the idea of
European integration to prevent war from ever again breaking out,
especially between Germany and France.
That
the original members of the European Economic Community—the
precursor of the EU—were France, West Germany, Italy,
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in 1957. Ireland and
Britain joined in 1973, Greece in 1981, Spain and Portugal in
1986—and Austria, Finland and Sweden in 1995. The Baltic
nations, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Malta and Cyprus joined on May 1, 2004.
That
Turkey and most of the ex-communist Balkans also have their sights
on membership. It would likely take at least a decade for them to
qualify.
That there
are three basic decision-making bodies in the EU: the
all-important Council of the EU that represents the member
states and that often makes key decisions on its own; the
policy-proposing European Commission, whose representatives
are sworn to uphold the interests of the EU as a whole; and the
directly-elected European Parliament, which has limited
powers.
That a
prototype of the EU was the European Coal and Steel Community,
set up in 1951. Part of the idea behind it was to provide a
mechanism for uniting France and Germany, to make conflict between
the two less likely. Members of this governing authority for the
coal and steel industries were France, West Germany, Italy,
Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. |
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Some public
commentators have limited knowledge of the EU and are scaring people by
claiming we are dealing with a monster similar to the USSR. This is not
true. Those who say so are only demonstrating their ignorance.”
—Then-Estonian President Lennart Meri in 1998,
countering opponents of EU membership. Skeptics were fond of likening the
European Union to the Soviet Union.
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EU
Change?
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There has been much talk about the Baltic states entering the EU on May 1, 2004. But has anyone noticed any practical changes? We asked businessmen throughout the Baltic, but received only one serious—well, semi-serious—answer:
“One of the unquestionable changes has been longer passport line-ups for the Finns upon their return from Finland—the Estonians can now join the EU line-ups. The border guards are now checking everyone’s passports more carefully. No doubt the Finns are very grateful for this change.”
–Hillar Lauri, Estonia
Most businessmen we talked with seemed to conclude there was little practical change—yet. A few made little effort to disguise their lack of enthusiasm for the EU in general and their perception of how this is affecting the work force:
“Well, the weather is nicer [since EU entry].
As a business owner, I find I don’t have to work as much since the competition knocks off early.
The two-hour lunches are pleasant.
In the grocery store I noticed an ‘EU Lager’ in the beer aisle the other day. I’m pretty sure we didn’t have those before.
It’s entirely done away with corruption, which is nice.
I was given a huge grant the other day to fund my study on grant writing.
And my facial blemishes have cleared up.”
–Jerry Wirth, Latvia
“Estonia’s business climate is becoming more European. This means that summer is more important than business.”
—Rain Eisler, Estonia
“Ever since 1991, Baltic napkins have increased in size. I believe on May 1 they became European standard.”
– Charles E. Winchester, Vilnius
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Links
EU-related articles on this
site:
Into the EU Century: In
Europe's embrace, Baltics look to better times.
Model Ireland: What
the Baltic coutnries might learn from the Celtic Tiger's EU
experience.
The Russians are Coming:
Say hello to the new EU Russians.
Hit Me With
Your Best Shot: Some of the most commonly heard arguments for
and against Baltic EU membership.
EU Doubts: "Not liking the EU doesn’t necessarily translate into opposition to EU membership."
Undoubtedly Good: "It’s simple arithmetic. Poor new members will receive about 4 percent of their GDP in the form of EU subsidies."
We're In, Baby! The
once seemingly impossible dream of Baltic European Union membership is
now in the bag. Overview of the EU referendums.
Recent
Baltic EU Referendum News
Official EU
links on the Baltics:
Latvia—
EU
Referendum Press Center
European
Commission Office in Riga
Foreign
Ministry's EU Page
Estonia—
EU
Referendum/Election Commission
State EU
Info Office
European
Commission Office in Tallinn
Foreign
Ministry's EU Page
General:
The
European Union's Official Site
In the ideal Europe:
The cooks are French,
The engineers are German,
The police are British,
The lovers are Italian, and
The politicians are Swiss.
In the nightmare Europe:
The cooks are British,
The engineers are French,
The police are German,
The lovers are Swiss, and
The politicians are Italian.
—Courtesy
of europhilia.org.
CITY PAPER’s modest suggestion for the ideal Europe:
That the economists be Estonian, the musicians Latvian and the
philosophers Lithuanian.
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