The EU – a noble winner?

Quote

“We are called to bethink ourselves of the Christian basics of Europe by forming a democratic model of governance which through reconciliation develops into a ‘community of peoples’ in freedom,  equality, solidarity and peace and which is deeply rooted in Christian basic values.”
Robert Schuman, French foreign minister and a founding father of the EU.

News

The Norwegian Nobel committee took quite a risk in awarding the peace prize to the European Union a week ago, as social unrest in Athens and elsewhere threatens the very concept of a united continent, and public opinion in Norway is sharply divided over the EU.

The award recognises the long term achievement of the Union in building stability and peace in a continent whose nations habitually resolved conflicts by going to war with each other.  (The last time Europe enjoyed 60 years without war was in 1410.)  The Nobel committee also recognised the EU’s contribution in replacing dictatorships with democracy in Southern Europe, and Soviet domination with liberating independence in Eastern European nations.

The founding fathers of European Coal and Steel Community, which became the EEC, then the EC and finally the EU, sought to make the major industries of France and Germany so interdependent that it would be inconceivable for the two to go to war with each other again.  It was a relational goal for which they adopted an economic strategy. 

Since then, the very success of the European project (coupled with NATO) has led to peace being taken for granted.  Consequently, the ambitions of the European project have become increasingly economic and political, and the vital realm of relationships between the various European peoples has taken a back seat.

The flagship of the EU is now the Euro, and saving the currency is forcing member states towards closer political union and the loss of their sovereignty.  But will this ultimately lead to the kind of relationships within and between member states that European peoples aspire to?   In the long run that may well determine whether the EU will live up to its Nobel reputation.

Read on...

A paper by Dr Gary Wilton about how Christian statesman Robert Schuman sought to place Christian values at the heart of rebuilding Europe in the aftermath of the second world war can be read here.  http://www.jubilee-centre.org/resources/the_enduring_legacy_of_robert_schuman

Walk the talk

We can all be tempted to allow some form of material advantage to sneak in and become a hidden agenda behind some of our more noble goals.  Do you need to take an honest, tough look at your motives for any of your current initiatives or commitments?

The last word

From the Bible, Psalm 37, verse 11: “The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity.”