EU’s weaknesses derived from internal developments, Sant argues

The weaknesses of the European Union result from developments within the Union and not from unforeseen events happening beyond Europe, Labour MEP Alfred Sant said.

The Europarliamentarian was addressing the EP following President Jean-Claude Juncker’s first State of the Union speech.

He said, that the reasons for the weaknesses being demonstrated by the European Union must be correctly recognised.

Sant said the EU was suffering from overstretch and over-reach. “Because of them, dilemmas and paralysis have emerged that affect the Union as it faces the big problems of today – among which the migration crisis, the stand-off in the Ukraine, the tragic Greek muddle and the persisting high unemployment.”  

He said that the solution to Europe’s overstretch and overreach can  only be found in political and economic consolidation, not by enhancing overreach. 

“The Union expanded its commitments and aspirations, but the political will was not really there and the means to carry them out not really available. Meanwhile its soft power outside its borders continued to increase, maintaining the attractiveness of its model, fuelling expectations as to what the Union could do for people.

“We are told that ‘more Europe’ is the solution to this state of affairs. Many European citizens living their daily lives away from the pressures and shared assumptions of political forces involved in the European project, fail to understand what is going on.”