The upcoming European Parliament election is a crucial moment for citizens to voice their opinions on the future of the European Union, particularly concerning the fundamental clash between nationalism and multilateralism.
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this upcoming spring we Europeans will
be presented with a ballot will be asked
to voice our opinions concerns and hopes
about our union and a future to the vote
for a European Parliament but what's in
that vote is it just a box ticked no the
continent of Europe is old its people
have fought States and their governments
for inclusion peace and democracy for
centuries ever greater parts of society
have come under the sway of that
brilliant Greek and European invention
one-person one-vote in the past decades
of globalization Europe has increasingly
worked from its shared values presenting
a united front in trade environmental
laws animal and human rights but you
can't vote for a continent the continent
of Europe may be old but it's European
Union is just about 70 the Schengen zone
30 its currency the Euro 20 and our
direct vote for its Parliament and
they're 40 years old so what's in this
vote how will it move the --use jumble
of commissions councils courts and
Parliament's and what's really at stake
in the election it's complicated but
bear with us we'll attempt to make sense
of it with you and put the European
Parliament in its context the same
ancient Greek wisdom of democracy has
taught us to group the governing powers
into three separate ones legislative
executive and judicial the Trias
politica first the legislative power
drawing up the union's laws and budget
like in most governments this is done
between two houses the European
Parliament is the house representing us
as Europeans this is where your upcoming
vote will go representing the Member
States own interests we see the National
ministers in the Council of the European
Union the European Commission is there
to help find agreement between the two
next the executive power for current
business and handling the union's crises
full of public bodies and officials but
topped by one the European Council this
puts our own Prime Minister's or
presidents in charge of the Union
together guided by a president of its
own in this executive branch you'll also
find the Council of the European Union
and the European Commission in an
executive capacity making proposals and
seeing to their follow-up the
Commission's president sits in with the
European Council and finally there is
the European Central Bank with a
president of its own same as in our home
government or other executive bodies and
agencies we thankfully don't need to
know what counts is this the whole of
the EU executive answers to the European
or the home Parliament's or to both and
to the courts which brings us to the
third the judicial branch the EU is
called one judge from each country they
independently try cases involving member
states institutions and even citizens
and businesses so much for the context
but it's not just context separation of
powers have proven to make for balance
government and open society the Union
separation of powers beats even that of
some of its member states only the
Commission and the Council of the
European Union combined functions they
can change their executive hat for a
legislative one now about your upcoming
vote in the European Parliament it's 700
plus members sit in Europe wide groups
on a spectrum from left to right just
like national parliaments it has three roles
roles
it speaks our minds as Europeans in
legislation just recently it voted EU
rules for purposing on the Internet EU
labor rules EU laws to cut cross-border
phone bills and laws against plastic
pollution it summons before it the men
and women of power both European and
national to question them in public and
call them to account essentially it is
the one theatre to stage the great
issues of our
Continent today's main issue is the
clash between two convictions between
nationalism and multilateralism the
European Union itself embodies
multilateralism the philosophy that
states are better off when they renounce
violence and intimidation between
themselves and commit to peace progress
and Liberty open borders and liberal
democracy nationalist leaders denounced
it as dangerous for undermining
individual countries democracy and
sovereignty by creating a super state
but as the Union really becoming a super
state remember our elected home
political leaders actually run the Union
together from their European Council
with our elected ministers in the
Council of the European Union and our
directly elected parliament members in
the European Parliament our home states
tower over the Union it is they who
unanimously made and keep making its
ground rules for treaties they do this
on our watch and their voters the
upcoming election will stage this clash
between the awesome populist nationalism
and the union's multilateral estai Diaz
the European Parliament is one body fit
to raise this issue on to the stage of
our continents public opinion far from
phasing out the states the Union makes
them evolve united by opening up their
markets have borders the societies and
their voters to each other shall it keep
being trusted to do so the answer to
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