Herman Van Rompuy, President of theEuropean Council, expresses the goal of a whole continent: “We all work to leave a better Europe for the children of today and those of tomorrow. So that, later, others might turn and judge: that generation, ours, preserved the promise of Europe.”
On December 10th, 2012, Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso and Martin Schulz, representatives of the great European institutions, receive in Oslo the Nobel Peace Prize in the name of the European Union. And in spite of their pride, they do not deny that the situation of the Union is not of the simplest, but the creed is nevertheless clear: remain welded, come what may. In the public opinion, this prize is considered only as a vast swindle.
Effectively, both the political actors and the European citizens are aware of this critical situation of the EU, which makes obsolete this nevertheless prestigious prize. But what will it be in 10 years? In 20 years? In 30 years? When I ask persons around me how they see the European Union in 2030, I collide mainly with “europessimists”: “In 2030? We shall have finished it“. If the agreement is not of the most cordial between the European leaders, whom a consensus in the economic policy adorned at the moment inconceivable, it thus is up to the actors of the economy to take the hand.
The financial crisis of 2008 will have brought us at least a thing: the reminder of the fact that the economy is a network, very narrow, and that if a link falls, it is all the chain which collapses. Then why to look for the support of big fishes not always accommodating and even susceptible to be an additional source of difficulties? After all, in fishing, those are the small fishes which succeed in crossing the stitches of the net. Let’s learn of our mistakes and let’s use what our elders taught us: the History has shown that SME can be the mainspring of the economy, as it was the case during the beginning of the industrialization in the 19st century. In this case, let’s strengthen partnerships between SME of the EU, let’s issue calls for tender common to several countries. We also have to commit even more in the scientific progresses of our century. The percentage of the GDP dedicated to the R&D is, according to the last figures, 2.25 %. In the same way, the EU has to invest in our researchers, while encouraging the development of science parks, which before being national are European, and so geographically as virtually. Why would not we have too our Silicon Valley ?
The strategy of the European political chessboard is not very well at the moment. Germany, impassive king, is ready to send the poor pawns, the radius of action of which is too much restricted, to fall one by one to remain, it, till the end. I think that this partnership between companies, and not only the countries of the Northern Europe between them and in the same way in the Southern Europe, segregation that is often heard lately, but really between all and each. My Europe in 2030, that’s how it looks like: a territory of innovation ordered in networks economic and scientist in all the scales. But even, at the risk of being thought of a utopian, I still see other things: European citizens who will have by this way been able to exchange more than goods or funds, but also cultures, languages and respect for each. Who will have learnt to be European.
Guermi Sofia