The European Union's Half-Century of Success

The vision that produced the idea of a construct that would result in a union of formerly-warring neighbours within Europe resulted in a coalition of six member-states determined not to repeat the mistakes that had formerly plagued them through territorial competition and aggrievement. Europe had been convulsed within a relatively short time-frame in two dreadful wars. The original six countries, formerly deadly protagonists, took the high road of co-operation in forming a self-interested union.

Peace was the original goal, brought forward by a technique of sharing, aiding and abetting. The result has been a half-century of stability and economic growth shared by all. The European Union now has 27 members, up substantially from its original core group; the last members coming from, of all places, countries formerly within the purview of the U.S.S.R., another type of union, based on a failed ideology and coersion.

Now the European Union is comprised of a variety of nations, some of them former dictatorships, all now embracing social democracy and a genteel form of capitalism. It's a powerful union in both the political and economic sense, rivalling in some ways that of the union of states comprising the United States of America. The EU shares a common currency, and a fluidity of the marketplace as well as open borders for acquisition and for their combined work force.

The EU takes pride in itself, in its great accomplishments in providing for all its member states an atmosphere of peace and security, freedom and solidarity. Sometimes its the solidarity aspect of it that seems to rankle some of the disparate populations within the union. As a unity with political heft within the world community, though, the EU has taken it upon itself to assert responsibility for assistance toward other parts of the world, in combatting the scourge of AIDS, regional conflicts elsewhere; social and economic assistance to underdeveloped countries, and environmental degradation.

They've managed all this while accepting the fact of diverse cultures, traditions and languages, making efforts to build common institutions to serve all, with common, unifying policies. They've made great strides, in other words, in civilizing their part of the world beyond what it could aspire to singly, in the creation of the supranational unity. The EU has succeeded in taming its geography, in unifying its disparate nation-groups to reflect a common, co-operative culture of unity. Economic progress is the single greatest unifying force in the EU, along with technological advancement.

Its bureaucracy has become top-heavy and perhaps a little burdensome to some of its members, insisting on a level of social and economic conformity that many might feel constrains their cultural or traditional underpinnings. Countries within the union still don't feel completely at ease with one another, still feel competitive, still inveigle against one another, but that is human nature writ large. The EU is a success story still evolving. It will be interesting to see what exactly this noble experiment in social-fabric-and-country integration and co-operation will ultimately result in.

Congratulations in order, all around.