Europe deserves better! Speech text by Maxime MIKLUHA, MASSILLON

When I returned to Europe from America a few years ago, a strange realisation came to me. I began to see Europe in a different light. I did not know Europe anymore, the utopia this continent had been to my 10-year-old self. Nobody has ever claimed the European Union to be perfect, nor will it ever be perfect, but we all deserve a better Europe. The European peoples who built this union deserve better. The European youth deserve a better Europe. But a lot of us are fed up. The form of unity and harmony that the European Union is imposing on everyday folks like you and me is instead a form of division. A European Union creating a European division, this is the paradox which we are facing. I say it’s time to assess Europe’s problems in our fight for a better Europe. Specifically, I will be looking at the disconnect between citizens and the politicians in Brussels as well as the fundamental problems within the European Union.

I believe, first of all, that Europe needs more democracy and less bureaucracy, not the other way around. Expensive and tedious legislation takes away the decision-making power from local European communities. Europe wastes precious time by passing laws through a complex bureaucratic process. The European Union is limiting the people's political power.

This leads me to the second problem many have with Europe: lobbying. At the moment, the interest of the common European people is being crushed by private corporations in Brussels. Lobbying groups essentially bribe our representatives in Europe to go against our interests. For instance, take the 2008 global recession. It was in part caused by bank lobbyists. By deregulating the European economy, big banks and private interests took great financial risks before the recession came. And now, we all have to pay the price for their gambling. It is no wonder many Europeans are fed up. Some countries have passed laws regulating this political practise. Yet, lobbying is still a massive influence on European politics. My point here is that we deserve better. Europe deserves a more effective legislative system. Europe’s youth deserves a more democratic system. Later on, I want to vote in the EU elections knowing my voice matters. Later on, I want to know that my vote has the same weight as a millionaire’s vote or a homeless man’s vote.

Another glaring issue is that some of the European Union’s principles lead to counter-intuitive measures, for example, the principle of austerity. This idea promotes spending cuts to meet tight budget deficits set by the European Union. Western countries like Germany and France can afford to cut back on government spending and they are privileged economically to do so. Some southern countries, though, are not. Italy and Greece both suffered badly from the last global recession. They desperately need government spending to boost their economies. The principle of austerity for all of Europe is therefore unrealistic.

Another European idea which is also problematic is the free movement of labour. Before, this was one of the most practical and beneficial principles of Europe. Working anywhere in Europe was great, and it still is. The problem lies with the inclusion of former Soviet states in the East. If you are born in Spain or the Netherlands, you would rarely want to work in Belarus or other Eastern states. Why should you work in a far away, poorer country with lower salaries than in the West? On the other hand, if you are from the East, moving to the West is your life goal. Because of this, we see a major shift in Europe. The East is losing its educated workers, with the West taking in a large amount of them. The East deserves a better infrastructure by being in the EU; it is instead getting the opposite. The EU unfortunately has nobody to blame but itself for these issues. It’s no wonder people are fed up. You can see this hopelessness in the rise of populist parties in Italy and Poland. Europe deserves better. Europeans from the East, just as much as those from the West, deserve better.

I know I sound like a naive teenager just complaining about European problems. It is true, I have never held a normal job, I have never paid any taxes. Most of the issues I addressed barely impact my daily life. But the situation looks grim, even in a teenager’s eyes. The European Union was founded to unite us all. It has now changed so much that I’m afraid it is beginning to divide us all. The train of Europe’s economic prosperity and democracy is beginning to derail. Let us all act to put our Europe back on its tracks. I am looking at all of you pioneers from this great continent. I am looking at those meant to fight for us the most: the politicians in Brussels. I say, put away your political games! Fellow Europeans, use your voice and your vote to keep politicians fighting for all of us! It is time that all European nations and peoples become players in this European game. This is what Europe needs. This is what Europe deserves.