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        • Background analysis VI: Responsibility of the European Commission
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Background analysis VI: Responsibility of the European Commission

Despite the European Commission putting pressure on the Greek state to reform i.e. pass such severe austerity measures, that the unemployment rate has soared up to 27% in 2013 (and amongst the youth it reaches even over 50%), once the decision by Samaras was made, the following press release seeks to free the EU Commission from any responsibility.

 

 

 

Immediately the following question can be posed: what is the European Commission's understanding of 'autonomy' which Greece and the Greek government supposed to have under not just any, but these, indeed very specific conditions. The financial crisis broke out in full at the end of 2009, and since then Greece is under severe pressure to fulfil the demands of the TROIKA. In acknowledging the meaning of 'national sovereign debt', it is the Greek state to take full responsibility as to what happens budget and politically wise. Still, it would have been better to admit this was a decision not taken in full but limited autonomy, and subsequently in haste.

Not seeking specifically the closure of ERT, that may be true, but the European Commission does ask that Greece complies and reforms its economy along with seeking a new management for its public services. After all the latter is made out to be the stumbling bloc number one when it comes to cut back in state expenditures. With 1 million employed, the Troika has asked for a cut back of at least 150 000 employees by 2014.

How to explain such a contradiction? Press releases are meant to be carefully worded. It shows how well guarded the European Commission is when it comes to allocate and to attribute as much responsibilities as faults or mistakes. Along this line it should be said as of late the European Commission has come under a lot of criticism. Here a crucial opinion has been articulated by a poet:

 

On Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:46:15 +0200, he wrote: Dear all, With great sadness I read this - yet another - story on how citizens are being confronted with (strange/wrong/criminal/different/...) interpretations of texts, rules, laws and regulations which bring me to the the following questions: Where do we want to go with the EU? But also we need to interrogate ourselves and ask what we want to do for the EU. Another question, a very important one also, is the one concerning the battle against corruption, fraud and tax evasion. What do we want to (not) do to make sure the state (and/or the EU & other international institutions) can execute its functions as state. Do we have an answer to all these questions? And how can we (the citizens) make a difference and help in demanding to create a state organisation which is there for the public/citizens and not to squeeze the public/citizens into doing/paying for a small elite of selfish decision makers...

 

The double question as to what the European Union (Council of Member States, European Parliament, European Commission) is doing during this crisis, and what can citizens do to express better the kind of Europe they want, can partially be answered by an article of the New York Times about the recent admission by the IMF that mistakes were made with regards to Greece.

Several things can be pointed out in such a context of global connections and intereferences:

• economic decisions are based on models of calculations whereby many politicians do not really know what they vote for when they approve a certain budget line;

• the Troika and many followers of a certain approach to economy have not reflected that we are dealing already for a long time with a 'poverty of experience' when it comes to dealing with complex questions of society, human development, global peace and environment.
• The obvious economic growth model is based on the need to consume and therefore on expansion (another form of consumption) with no real alternative. Since Milton Friedman developed the notion of life income as determining consumption, that is not daily, weekly or monthly income, but life time income expectations, all this amount of money became subject to speculation. Monetary policy pushed aside all other policy measures.
• 'Poverty of experience' means we cannot even discuss amongst ourselves what policy measures are useful and how can they be followed up.
• Politics equals bureaucracy is an over simplification of the decision making process and leads to false criticism.
• Chances of success is established in terms of probability calculations and sheer quantitative terms.
• Evaluation methods over dominate as if it does not matter whether or not you evaluate a kindergarten or a business.
• ERT as public television and radio station has come under this cutting knife by calling it inefficient but without asking the question but what does it cost to uphold a public and note not a private television station.
• If merely economic rationality linked to making money / profit is applied, then naturally no one will ever invest in local cultures and their languages
• The business model being applied will only allow for a redistribution of resources according to what outside evaluators establish as the most efficient model.
• If no further criticism thereof is made, the new broadcasting unit will be a fake model of organization - see the absolute deterioration in public radio and public television throughout Europe and despite the claim of the European Commission that it wishes to uphold public media.
• The Troika itself is outside any kind of public accountability and has silenced not only the European Parliament but reinforces the re-nationalization trend in Europe. This means not only nationalism but also Fascism as exemplified by Hungary and now in Greece by the rise of the Chrysi Avgi Party (the latest poll shows them to be at 13% and therefore the third largest party). Neo Facism is the outcome of anti politics and therefore itself a reflection of no real discussion about contents of politics.

 

Artists and in particular poets can contribute by ensuring language is not misused so that the honesty in words and reflections is brought about by letting practical wisdom be expressed. As pointed out in my reflections as to what happened here yesterday once practical judgement is missing, then many things can happen and it is then too late to stop it or do something before too late. This means that we need to allow for human reasoning to have a voice and from there create spaces so that people do listen and can also express their subjective viewpoints, impressions, hunches, silly questions, since all that is but the beginning of being taken serious. The effort to comprehend complex processes should be supported all the time. That is why public discourse is a direction contribution to literacy. Without it you have only violence.

Europe and therefore the institutions of the European Union are deeply flawed because the European Parliament has not the right to propose legislation. This is the privilege of the European Commission and thus it is a political administration but of technocrats who have no political legitimacy. They derive power from getting the Council i.e. Member States giving them through treaties a mandate to act. To have such a political administration determine law is quite dangerous. Especially if they are no longer in touch with reality. Already the entire foreign service of the Commission is an utter financial scam. It serves the purpose of giving as a reward highly lucrative jobs to people who talk in the name of Europe even if they do not believe in that. But it is the result of the Lisbon treaty which links business interests to having European representation abroad but what Europe has been doing is to introduce internationally the very same evaluation methods it applies so wrongly internally.

Bart Verschaffel said Europe is a fiction but a necessary one. Now there is the risk that this fiction is becoming a nightmare and you have people like Gabriel completely turned off so that I have difficulties convincing him that it is still worthwhile to stay on board i.e. attempt to make some contribution.

Bob Palmer would say the problem of Europe is that the key persons there no longer listen nor are they able to take advise in a way that you would be convinced they get the message. For instance, I had warned from 2004 onwards about misuse of funds by the Ministry of Culture here in Greece but no response. When the deficit gap became public in 2009 everyone pretended to be surprised but it was known that the statistical reports were but spin doctor reports. Afraid to name things by their real names people inside the Commission did everything to circumvent a direct confrontation with a member state for afterall they depend in their power upon the good will of the member states. I find that a wrong dependency.

Truth comes from being independent in body and mind. The greatest gift any artist can make is to facilitate what Michael D. Higgins calls culture, namely a search for truth. We do not have the absolute truth but we do know the difference between someone stuttering out an awkward question and a skilful speech avoiding naming the real issues.

Still, it is to be appreciated when you raise this double edged question yet the question what we can do should not be called an interrogation. The method of asking questions should be the outcome of a refinement of our philosophical attitude towards the logic of questions. And don't forget that Europe did fare well as long as the consensus prerequisite was really upheld, so that the no of one was taken serious. Here it might help to remind what Kant said: if we try to explain something and others do not understand what we are saying then with certainty we have not understood as of yet what we are trying to say.

The political trust poets can give in words becoming open fields to experience life differently and even like a strange planet, hence not take it for granted, here find already of interest, for instance, how Satchi approaches it as exemplified in his poem 'The door' and which Menna picks up as well: absurd situations made plausible when the door becomes a centre piece of attention.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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