Problems are planet-wide and require a collective European response. A pole of civilisation, Europe will be forward-looking, introduce policies for sustainable development and prepare the younger generation for a ‘new world’. To do this, the Union must be strong through its independence in food and energy and scientific resources, and through its defences against the various forms of corruption of the world economic system, which is under attack in particular by speculation in the turbulent capital market.
An Active, Confidence-Inspiring Europe
France will soon take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union to give extra impetus to this great political project. The agreement at the Brussels summit on 23 June 2007 reawakened hope of progress on many fronts. French civil society must encourage and support our country’s representatives at negotiations on our continent and in the context of globalisation. The prime challenge is the position of the French workforce in the international division of labour.
Necessity calls for a strong political entity. In isolation, effects of scale mean that no European nation will be able to counter the competition from the new global giants. Salary disparities will continue to narrow. The relative size of US, Chinese and Indian markets will still remain a constant factor. In the manufacture of goods, cost reductions are linked to the scale of domestic markets and the promotion of innovations with the ongoing need to satisfy local customers; dominance is then boosted by success in global markets. In isolation, European nations would find themselves in the position of the three Alban warriors faced by the final Roman Horatius, and here there will be many Horatii. It is not enough to have a single market. Development policies must be introduced.
The European Union must demonstrate its power through projects that are a reaction to the economic and sociological fundamentals that will condition the future.
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