By Doug Bandow – In 1992, German chancellor Helmut Kohl predicted the “creation of what the founding fathers of modern Europe dreamed of after the war, the United States of Europe.”
Most dramatically, Dutch and French voters rejected the proposed constitution to expand Brussels’ authority and reduce national independence a decade ago.
The Eurocrats then repackaged the convoluted constitution as an incomprehensible treaty, which could be approved by national parliaments. Only in Ireland was a popular vote required. The Irish voted no …
More power shifted to Brussels. However, multiplying bureaucracy stifled action, and the Eurocrats chose two utterly forgettable figures as president and foreign minister. Loyalty to the EU failed to extend beyond the organization’s sprawling headquarters-buildings in Brussels.
Europe’s chattering classes wanted “more Europe,” but had no way to get it. Then the Euro crisis exploded … more> http://tinyurl.com/nvwmxdt
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