Vote for a Europan inception!

Five years since the crisis, the headlines changed. Europe's skyfall does not dominate newsrooms or parliamentary debates. The turnout for the election in May is likely to be low – Martin Schulz and Jean-Claude Juncker are not very well known in Malaga, Valetta or Skagen. Europe is not a topic which fascinates the reader.

The election campaign appears boring, and the slogans (“A Europe of People”, “A Europe of Chances” for Martin Schulz; “A better Europe” for Merkel”) are quite similar. The German Christ Democrats advertise with the chancellor Angela Merkel – even though you cannot vote for her.

Europe has a dilemma: At the moment the union is in a situation where it demands as much backing and approval as possible – and gets the opposite. It is desirable to run a campaign against the “bureaucratic monster” Brussels. Especially because the German government does not appreciate the approaches used to relieve and recover the internal market. They attract reforms to make the economy more flexible. The Bank of England and the European Central Bank stabilize the financial market with cheap money – ECB president Draghi announced he would do “whatever it takes” to rescue the Euro. This promise pushed the ECB in power. The institutions, the European Parliament and the European Commission are overwhelmed. They lack human resources and knowledge – along with incommensurate public support.

Currently, 15 parties have serious chances to get between five and twenty percent of the vote share in each country advertising to discontinue the common currency. For instance the “Alternative für Deutschland” points out the dangerous bail out responsibilities and liabilities in Germany, due to the purchase of government bonds from states such as Greece or Ireland. They see Europe in the same way that a salesman does – looking at the prices and costs. You cannot see Europe as a product or good, Europe isn’t a share or a government bond. You need to view Europe as an answer to a peaceful future. Without this integration and supranational and intergovernmental cooperation we would not travel borderless, we would not live in prosperity.

Greece is the cradle for democracy and the birthplace of philosophy. How would Europe be without its Greek influence? Now five years after the crisis, we are in the situation of high youth unempolyment. Europe needs a Phoenix – like in Greece mythology. We need young, passionate Europeans who are fighting for the old ideas of democracy, participation and human rights. Europe does not work without its convinced citizens. Europe is not an perpetual motion, Europe demands engagement, participation and passion.