Ulrich Beck on Europe's self-destruction

It's either more Europe or no Europe at all, sociologist Ulrich Beck concludes in the left-liberal daily La Repubblica: "Where, today, can we find British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's enthusiasm for Europe, his prophetic voice reminding Europeans that the growing national narrow-mindedness - turning one's neighbours into enemies - not only destroys the European miracle but also Europe itself in the end? … In a surprising show of concurrence with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed the expansion of the EU's powers in economic policy. And yet this proposal - no less surprisingly - met with opposition from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. … The economic crisis has caught the peripheral states off guard. … The resulting structural crisis in which Europe finds itself uncompromisingly raises the question of [Europe's] right to exist. What is Europe, and what does it want to be? … There is still no common economic, fiscal, corporate or social policy in Europe to fight the consequences of the financial crisis which are threatening the single market. And the one rejecting the calls for 'more' Europe, which has become a historical necessity, and thus causing damage to all is German Chancellor Angela Merkel."

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