LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Spring 2008

by Lena Ek

RELATED ARTICLES:

---

Daniel Cohn-Bendit says European politicians suffer from convenient bouts of amnesia when faced with difficult tasks. My diagnosis is different. I think they are afflicted with paralysis, an illness caused by fear of the future and a lack of vision. Let me illustrate my point with some of the major challenges confronting the European Union today.

Our “old” continent is struggling to keep pace with strong economic growth in developing countries. These countries are making great strides thanks to the strength and vitality of their people, who are determined to improve their quality of life through hard work and provide their children with a better future. Industries in developing countries are striving to find improved technologies and new solutions to meet the people’s aspirations. Meanwhile, in the European parliament we often meet lobbyists from “developed” EU industries who are fighting to keep obsolete technologies going and politicians who want to close EU markets to preserve the "good old days". Rather than give in to such retrograde requests, we should instead work together to increase our spending on research and education, open up our markets, share innovation and transfer technology to developing nations in order to solve our common problems.

A similar fear of the future is affecting the energy sector as we enter a new era of climate change. Economic history demonstrates that energy supplies strongly influence global patterns of industrial production, employment, finance and even world political power. So the shift away from oil and coal as our primary sources of power will also alter global financial flows. This presents great opportunities, but also implies that we need to challenge the structures of today. While this will frighten many people, it is essential to deal with global warming. After all, each successive report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change shows an increased threat from accumulated greenhouse gases. As this knowledge spreads, our citizens will demand a new type of energy policy, one that does not rely on fossil fuels.

European politicians’ fears about the future are also getting in the way of EU enlargement, especially Turkish membership. All demographic statistics clearly illustrate an alarming trend in the age profile of Europe; the proportion of young people in Europe is diminishing, thereby decreasing our relative importance in the world. We have to face the fact that the EU cannot afford to exclude the youthful population of Turkey; we desperately need their workforce, productivity and determination. It is a subject that should be approached with openness and tolerance, rather than being stifled by political phobias about change.

In his article, Cohn-Bendit - as usual - strikes wildly at all targets. While I share some of his conclusions, I disagree over how they should be achieved. A true friend is a person who asks how you feel and listens to your answer! Then you can put aside your fears, overcome your paralysis and begin to take action once again.