Josef Isensee approves of the EU's distance from the people

In an essay on Western Europe, jurist Josef Isensee concludes that the EU remains primarily an administrative union, despite the longing for a common identity. "Notwithstanding the illusion of closeness to the people, here's to distance! There is more than one reason to appreciate the distance of citizens which is essential to the system of supranational governmental decision-making. It is the secret to the success of organized Europe. Because it is easier for the EU organs to roll with the short and medium-term conditions of the free market than it is for the governments and parliaments of the member states, which hang directly on people's sensitivities and reactions and on the favour of the electorate. The organizations' integration success is largely the work of cabinet politics and the central bureaucracy, which, for the sake of efficiency, implement liberal contract goals, push competition, limit dependency on aid, and keep a lid on national debt. This is clearly no way to win a popularity contest. But do you have to love the European organization, even if its usefulness and necessity are obvious?"

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