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 > The Apprehension of a Rich Country > Towards a Europe Showing Solidarity > A Europe of Money?
dimarts, 16 de setembre de 2003
It was on January 1st, 2002, close to two years ago, when the European Union adopted the euro as its sole monetary unit. Twelve of the fifteen countries belonging to the Union opted to do away with their respective monetary units, many of which were centuries-old, thus symbolizing a significant leap forward towards the goal of strengthening the slow process of European unification. There were only three countries, Great Britain, Denmark and Sweden, who chose to remain on the sidelines, at least for the time being. Recently, however, Sweden has carried out an intense debate on the advisability of whether it should follow suit in adopting the European monetary unit.
This debate recently took second place after a great tragedy hit the country. Last Wednesday, September 10th, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anna Lindh, who was a committed pro-European and a firm supporter of Sweden's move to the euro, was the victim of an attack while out shopping at a mall in Stockholm. She later died as a result of serious wounds. This peaceful northern country, quite unaccustomed to these sorts of events, was completely shaken by the terrible news. The commotion was such that local political parties decided to call off the September 14th referendum on the euro. To date, the motives behind the attack remain unknown; however the possibility that the motives were political has not been ruled out. Likewise, one other country, Estonia, included among the ten members to form part of the European Union this coming May 1st, 2004, has been host to significant debate in recent days over the option to move to use of the euro. This small country, located on the banks of the Baltic Sea, was also shaken by an event that in this instance did not end in tragedy: a train that was carrying out a pro-euro campaign was about to be derailed following an act of sabotage.
 
The Apprehension of a Rich Country)
+ Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.
Sweden is one of the richest countries in the world. Swedish citizens enjoy an extremely high standard of living: their tax contributions are significant; however they have access to a great number of services in return. Furthermore, the quality of their education system is high, resulting in their being very competitive. This has given rise to a popular concept known as the 'Swedish model', which combines freedom with equality. This model was put into practice by the Swedish Social-Democratic Party, which has governed practically without interruption since the 1930s. Nevertheless, Sweden's high rate of development has caused a significant section of its citizen's to view the euro reticently, in fear of losing current privileges.
Towards a Europe Showing Solidarity)
+ Next year the European Union will come to include twenty-five members.
And yet this fear is not something solely ascribed to the Swedish. In fact, other societies and governments of countries belonging to the Union also share this fear, and over the same reasons. We should be aware of the fact that next year, the European Union will come to include twenty-five members, many of which are new-comers that are poorer than the fifteen original members. What does that mean? Well, it means that they will be in need of assistance, and will be needing money in order to attain the same standards of living as other European countries. Therefore, many countries that had up until now been receiving economic assistance will no longer receive it. Such is the case with Spanish State, for example, which has benefited from many forms of assistance since it became part of the European Union, through what are known as European cohesion funds. Therefore, we all should learn how to demonstrate solidarity toward one another. Countries that form part of Europe shouldn't do so only to receive money, they should also contribute it.
A Europe of Money?
+ The European Union was not created for economic reasons.
The debates that are being held in numerous countries over whether to adopt the euro could very well lead us to think that the European Union was created for economic reasons. And yet the case is quite the contrary; it was created for political motives. We should bear in mind the fact that the original promoters of European unification were above all, seeking to create a Europe in which people could live peacefully, following the horrible wars that had been experienced there. It is not surprising, then, to note that the initial attempt at European unification and seeking collaboration on particular issues took place just following the conclusion of the Second World War (1939-1945). What we know today as the European Union was, therefore, created out of the desire that all Europeans could live freely and in peace for ever more.
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> L'1 de maig de 2004 deu estats entraran a formar part de la Unió Europea. Saps quins? Aquests.
> A banda Suècia, quins dos estats de la Unió no han adoptat encara l'euro? Esbrina-ho en aquesta pàgina.
> Quina és la moneda de curs legal a Suècia? Saber-ho no costa gaire.
> Aprèn coses dels països que formen part de la Unió Europea en aquest espai interactiu força divertit.
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