The EU creates a "Council of the Wise"

Martin Winter is outraged by the EU's plans to establish a "Council of the Wise," based on a suggestion by French President Nicolas Sarkozy. "Instead of tossing Sarkozy's suggestion in the trash where it belongs, the 27 member states are now creating a 'Think Tank Horizon 2020-2030.' The ridiculous name reflects the senselessness of the project. Europe does not need sages to tell them what challenges lie ahead. No retired statesmen and women, or top business managers, are needed to find a new European idea. Global challenges and European visions were openly and fully discussed, after Joschka Fischer's Humboldt speech in 2000 and during the convention for designing a constitution. What Europe really needs is politicians who answer essential European questions themselves, not diverting them into working groups. Politicians who are ready to take risks for this, and to withstand the pressure of conflicts. But there are just not enough politicians of such mettle."

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