Word: europeanness
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...staunch pro-European nation. I think Europe is in a transition, but I think it's a very important transition. I would say it's from being a peace project - which it still is - to being a model for a globalized society, a prototype for a globalized society. Europe began after the Second World War, so it basically was the dream to say: "Never again, war on this continent." And as a matter of fact, it has succeeded in bringing in countries, making them more democratic. Greece, Spain, Portugal initially, then the Central and Eastern European countries. It still...
...What does that mean? It means we pool our sovereignty. We, each one of these 27 countries, have given up some of our sovereignty to a higher body, the European Union. And said, we'll be more effective if we work together. We're different countries. We speak different languages. We have different backgrounds. We have different traditions. We've even been at war with each other at times, but we share a common pool of values: democracy, human rights, belief in the peaceful resolution of conflict, social cohesion and now, of course, the idea of a green economy...
...this current crisis just been a bump in the development of Europe? Some more cynical analysts have said, this shows the European project is flawed and the euro is doomed. It could have become a crisis - which would have, I wouldn't say Europe would have imploded, but it could have created sort of an unraveling effect. I think what Europe has been able to do over the years is as it's hit crises, it's been able to creatively become stronger, to use the crisis as an opportunity and that's what I've said also...
Papandreou is most animated talking not economics, but human rights and the environment. A few days ago, after returning from Brussels with a deal that will see the European Union bail Greece out if everything else fails, he relaxed with a long bike ride. "He doesn't have the ability to inspire the public like his father, but that may be a sign of maturity in the Greek public," says Stan Draenos, a Greek-American academic who has written an upcoming biography of Andreas Papandreou. "The age of heroes is over...
Papandreou says he wants Greece to become the Sweden of the Mediterranean - powered by green energy and boutique tourism - and says it is possible to have both a generous welfare system and a competitive economy. Despite the bumps of the past few months, he remains optimistic about the European project. "I think Europe is in a transition," he says. "I'd say it's gone from being a peace project to being a ... prototype for a globalized society." He would like to lead the way. But first, there's a crisis to deal with...