Should We Stop Fomenting Defeatism?

At the end of last week, the European Union received an unexpected compliment. The spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, stated that Russia might take measures due to the ‘militarization of the European Union‘. Thus, someone has finally taken Brussels’ initiative to raise 800 billion euros for further armament of Europe seriously. At the same time, the media and social networks here continued to stoke defeatism. An example is a meme in which the stars on the EU flag were replaced with the hands of drowning victims.

It is incredible how fertile the ground is in Croatia for disparaging the union of countries of which we have been a member since 2013. A large number of analysts, political influencers, and activists on social media are competing to see who can tarnish the European Commission and the EU as a whole the most. It is true that there are hundreds of examples for which the government in the EU headquarters deserves fierce criticism. But this bombardment has been carried out over the past months. Well-meaning individuals should now turn to a more intellectually demanding task – proposing what should be done in the short and long term, considering the very nature of the European Union.

Critics, speak up!

The European Union is not the United States of America as a union of European states. The EU is not a federation like Russia. It is not a single people’s republic like China. Expecting the efficiency of the European ‘government’ that leaders of the USA, Russia, or China have the prerequisites for – is unrealistic. Therefore, every fierce critic, if they have the courage, should state which variant they support: unification, federalization, or a one-party system in the European Union. Or for its abolition. Here, the author of these ‘Ekonomalija’, if it were possible, would prefer to choose the Non-Aligned Movement. But since it has long since withered away, membership in the European Union remains the least bad solution. So, since it is like that, let us all contribute to its survival and strengthening as much as we can. So that we Europeans can long-term rid ourselves of the self-imposed reconciliation that we are losers. We are losers to the extent that we allow ourselves to be.

—

—

When it comes to Croatia, it would be useful for us to collectively start being less arrogant towards the European Commission and the strongest EU members. When analyzing what is being reproached to Brussels from here, an uninformed person would think that these criticisms are written by people from the Netherlands, not from Croatia. The Netherlands is a large net contributor to the European budget. It pays 4.1 billion euros more per year than it withdraws from European funds. Therefore, it would be legitimate to complain often from there. Croatia, however, with about two and a half billion euros per year, is the largest net recipient.

We have become so, in general, hooked on European funds and at the same time become so arrogant that we feel entitled to demand from the team in Brussels to add up, to strengthen national economies, and to continue sending EU remittances to the local authorities. We have enjoyed being EU-fund rentiers.

Behind most news and comments about the recession in Germany, one can sense criticism of the German leadership. What does it allow itself? The tourist season is at the doorstep! We are waiting for German tourists to rip them off with prices for another year. If the German authorities do not get serious and stimulate optimism, what will Croatian bi-monthly tourism live off? And where will the budget be filled for the payment of salaries that bought the last parliamentary elections? If we had known that the locomotive of the European Union would behave so irresponsibly, we would certainly have reconsidered our membership.

Nothing suits us

By the way, no community suits us. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was not good. Neither was the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Nor the SFRY. Now neither is the European Union, which finally gives great freedom and independence to each member that knows how to use it constructively.

It is true that Ursula von der Leyen does not show similarities with, for example, the steel lady Margaret Thatcher. The Germans should have sent a more charismatic leader, right? But where do we get the right to criticize when we sent Dubravka Šuica for one of their ‘ministers’?

In the end, it should be fair to allow the idea that instead of complicated relations in the EU, we should turn and be someone’s vassals. Some would surrender to American President Donald Trump, others to Putin, and others to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Just to, among other things, avoid having our young men serve military service and be ready to defend the borders of the EU. It sounds tempting, but there is one ‘catch’: the new ruler would again introduce military service, and our recruits would be sent to some new front in their interest. To be ‘cannon fodder’. Well, perhaps today a more appropriate term is ‘drone fodder’.