Looking beyond the euro crisis: the challenges of nationalism, the welfare state and technology
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Looking beyond the euro crisis: the challenges of nationalism, the welfare state and technology Martti Ha¨ikio¨
Published online: 21 November 2012 Ó Centre for European Studies 2012
Abstract In order to stimulate economic growth and strengthen European integration, the EU must show greater respect for national sovereignty, reform the welfare state and invest in technology. The Nordic countries have set an example that could work for the rest of the EU. Keywords Nordic perspective Nationalism Integration Welfare state Technology
Introduction The current debt crisis—this too shall pass. European integration is a long-term project. If we are to build a sustainable union, we must discuss the underlying structures and ideologies. Speaking from a Nordic perspective, I want to discuss three challenges facing European integration after the euro crisis: nationalism, the welfare state and technology. Politics play a very different role in each of them. The Nordic countries—both EU members and non-members—have, through mutual cooperation, been able to combine healthy nationalism with deep integration. One of the causes of the debt crisis was a misunderstanding of the welfare state: governments were spending more than they earned. This is why it is necessary to study the birth of the Nordic welfare model more closely. But the most important point is that there can be no welfare state without economic competitiveness. And this cannot be achieved without new
M. Ha¨ikio¨ (&) Suomen Toivo- ajatuspaja, Runeberginkatu 5 B, 7 .krs., 00100 Helsinki, Finland e-mail: [email protected]
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technology, based on science and top-quality education, as well as investment in research and development.
Respect for national identity and sovereignty My first point is that national identity and sovereignty need to be respected if deeper integration is to be achieved. If small nations—and larger ones too—feel that their identity is threatened by the integration process, they will choose to protect their identity and sovereignty, whatever the rational and economic arguments may be for deepening international cooperation. In Nordic history you will find many conflicts and wars between countries. Over the past century, however, these hostilities have given way to a deeply integrated region where a balance has been found between each country’s need to protect its own sovereignty and the concomitant need to respect the sovereignty of others. Perhaps there are lessons to be learned that would be applicable to the wider European context. At the present time, there are two different ways of thinking about the future. One option is to look to the past and attempt to restore the pre-crisis situation. The alternative is to accept the fact that the world has changed, adjust to the new reality and then create something new. It is easy to recommend the latter option, but the temptation to restore the vanished world is usually stronger, for the simple reason that the past is more familiar than the future. Let us remember the greatest les
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