They're only picking up on the "two-speed" Europe now? I realized that years ago.
My biggest beef is with the agricultural subsidies - the new countries, who are poorer and could therefore use subsidies more, get less subsidies than richer countries. I don't agree with subsidies, but if they are to make subsidies, at least make them help the people who need it more, y'know?
Two speed Europe is not necessarily a bad thing. Of 2.3 million Latvians, 40 thousand are now in Ireland. Most of them young, some of them educated, most of them on low-paid agricultural jobs.
This finally started to drive the salaries up, which is good, but we don't want ALL our youth to leave at once. We have good growth now, so in a few years they may want to stay.
A dramatic example came in 2004, when the leaders of Germany, France and Britain held a summit to which no smaller countries were invited. The snub helped widen the rift between "old Europe," which opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, and "new Europe," whose defiant newcomer nations sent troops.
Yeah right, as everybody knows, Britain opposed the US-led war in Iraq.
Amusingly it is considered completely normal that newcomers see each other in little groups (eg. the Visegrad group), but everybody start crying fool when founding members dare meeting each other once in a while.
The two-speed transitory period is regrettable on many aspects (i wish the Schengen and Eurozone were extended at once to all who wish to join in) but necessary on others as stated by abzac_kakoj_to - but nobody can pretend they didn't knew of it beforehand. Accession is a process that'll take a couple of years to complete, i think the benefits are worth the wait.
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My biggest beef is with the agricultural subsidies - the new countries, who are poorer and could therefore use subsidies more, get less subsidies than richer countries. I don't agree with subsidies, but if they are to make subsidies, at least make them help the people who need it more, y'know?
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This finally started to drive the salaries up, which is good, but we don't want ALL our youth to leave at once. We have good growth now, so in a few years they may want to stay.
Reply
Yeah right, as everybody knows, Britain opposed the US-led war in Iraq.
Amusingly it is considered completely normal that newcomers see each other in little groups (eg. the Visegrad group), but everybody start crying fool when founding members dare meeting each other once in a while.
The two-speed transitory period is regrettable on many aspects (i wish the Schengen and Eurozone were extended at once to all who wish to join in) but necessary on others as stated by abzac_kakoj_to - but nobody can pretend they didn't knew of it beforehand. Accession is a process that'll take a couple of years to complete, i think the benefits are worth the wait.
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