2008-08-25T12:40:34Z https://www.taurillon.org/Council-finds-no-solution-time-for-a-two-speed-Europe#comment5222 2008-08-25T12:40:34Z

<p>A multispeed europe would be perfect. I am speaking as a no to lisbon campaigner in Ireland. I believe in the economic dimension of europe but not the political and military dimensions. Currently our alternative is to join EFTA and operate the EEA, but a multispeed europe could actually save our membership of the EU.</p>

2008-07-01T13:29:13Z https://www.taurillon.org/Council-finds-no-solution-time-for-a-two-speed-Europe#comment4851 2008-07-01T13:29:13Z

<p>In this article Toni makes a case, among other things, for an enlarged QMV and a multi-speed Europe. I'm grateful for the clearly important work they did in Ireland and I agree that the EU musn't slide back to the smallest common denominator politics, but the central point I want to make is about democracy. I agree that <i>quantitatively</i> the veto power of the Irish vote wasn't democratic, but the EU has far more severe problems on the <i>qualitative</i> side of democracy.</p> <p>When No votes ended the Constitutional Treaty, national governments started a record-secretive treaty process and did everything in their powers to avoid future referendums and other forms of public involvement. That isn't how one should act in a democratic society. When the results are 'wrong', the right reaction is not to try to change the rules of the game in a less democratic direction. The EU leaders focus on getting the reforms through, but disregard the questions of legitimacy and democracy in the Union at large.</p> <p>The pressure for public involvement in EU affairs is greatest in the field of national referendums. This is unfortunate, but the more EU leaders try to evade or downplay this form of democratic influence, the greater the pressure for more national referendums, and for No votes. The EU needs to face its democratic challenge and offer alternative ways of democratic influence in EU politics, yet at the same time respecting the democratic spirit expressed in national referendums. They are not the way forward, but disregarding them doesn't make EU's current problems disappear.</p>

2008-06-26T15:25:59Z https://www.taurillon.org/Council-finds-no-solution-time-for-a-two-speed-Europe#comment4824 2008-06-26T15:25:59Z

<p>we do it for 50 years, as at this time, there where only 6 states to decide to do so. moreover, there was no need to win the popular legitimization. last but not least, there was a suffisant shared consensus doing so.</p> <p>50 years later, there are 27 states deciding through unanimity. and there is now a need to win the citizen legitimacy.</p> <p><a href="http://www.we-change-europe.eu" class="spip_url spip_out auto" rel="nofollow external">http://www.we-change-europe.eu</a></p>