Do you want to be European?

The European integration was labelled as an elite project for a long time. No one has ever asked a single European citizen if they wanted to live in a united Europe. As a voter you might have the feeling being overruled. The German philosopher Jürgen Habermas called this a “democracy deficit”. Some countries – for instance Norway – did ask its inhabitants if they want to be a member of the European Union. They refused it. Moreover some nations took referendums about the European constitution which were not successful either. The UK will have a referendum soon, as the current Prime Minister David Cameron stated recently: "Simply asking the British people to carry on accepting a European settlement over which they have had little choice is a path to ensuring that when the question is finally put - and at some stage it will have to be - it is much more likely that the British people will reject the EU.”

‘Cameron asked a key question to a European citizen: “Can we carry on with an organisation that has a multi-billion pound budget but not enough focus on controlling spending and shutting down programmes that haven't worked?”. Europe often has the problems described. A huge administration creates bureaucracy, long ways to take decisions along with complicated and detailed regulations. Do we really want this? Every government finances the European budget – however not every country gets its expenditure back. Do we want to be ruled by an administration in Brussels which does not share our language?

Moreover, David Cameron said in a speech regarding Europe’s future: "It will be a relationship with the single market at its heart.” For Germany and other European nations, Europe is more than a market – it is a necessary answer to our history.

As an island Great Britain hasn´t got a feeling for the historical need of the European Union for peace, progress and prosperity. France, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece and many other European nations suffered torture, pain and grief. Germany and France have been enemies for many centuries, but have since become friends due to intervention by the European Union. National Socialism and Communism are dark capitals of the last century. Great Britain does not share this past, it has been a democracy all this time. For the United Kingdom, the future of Europe is not about war and peace, it is about interest rates and a common market. However, we can’t be sure if a German or Italian resident also thinks in in this way.

The costs of this referendum are high – if the majority reject the European integration - our project of peace, there will be a huge issue. Europe is powerful despite its public approval. We are just in the middle of our process to change Europe – and for this reason, it´s important to vote in May.