EU REGIONALISM AND GERMAN AUTHORITARIANISM

INTRODUCTION (Rodney Atkinson) There are two abiding characteristics of the building of the European Superstate by the German political class. First is the central authority which it imposes on the previously free and self governing nation states while often exempting itself from those constraints. Secondly the use of regional policy (Hitler's "Regional Principle" - first emphasised in the book Treason at Maastricht published in 1994, see Publications on this site) in order to break down sovereign authority in other EU member states while pursuing the exact opposite policy within Germany itself. One example of the latter process is outlined below by our friends at german-foreign-policy.com.

Another odious example has recently surfaced in Berlin with the publication by Defence Minister Peter Truck of a position paper calling for all national military forces to be put under the control of the European Union. This would include both British armed forces and the British nuclear deterrent! A single European army is, according to Struck, "the visionary goal of German policy" and "no step along the path to military integration would be unthinkable for Germany" - only "Britain and France have taboos over these issues". No wonder the US Ambassador to NATO has said EU military plans represent "one of the greatest dangers to the transatlantic relationship". With its usual hypocrisy the German political class is simultaneously proposing that in future the German Parliament should have less control over the German Army!

None of this of course is surprising to the informed analyst of the European Union over the last 20 years - but it probably surprises the decadent British political class whose Little Englander mentality is as disastrous for sovereign freedom and democracy as their eurofanaticism.

Date of Report 23 October 2003
Translated 23 October 2003

BERLIN/BRUSSELS Regionalisation within the EU, resulting from German policy, gains further impetus from the new constitution. The proposed constitution strengthens the role of the regions as "basic structures".

Just as the decentralisation of other EU states is being driven forward, Germany is preparing further centralisation of its state apparatus to strengthen "Germany's capability to act".

The Centre for Applied Political Research (CAP), a highly influential German think tank which works closely with the German Foreign Office, believes that the regions are coming into a key position. From this they can legitimately demand comprehensive integration into the EU decision-making process. The strategists of Berlin's world-power ambitions believe that the new constitution goes a long way towards giving "the regional dimension additional and previously unhoped-for momentum"

"MORE BITE" FOR THE REGIONS

In particular the position of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) is strengthened as "the collective representation of the interests of all regions and local, district corporations" - one of the most important instruments of regionalisation according to German Guidelines.

In article 1 part 6 of the proposed constitution, local and regional self-government are designated as part of the "basic structures" which must be respected by the EU. In article 1 part 3 the value of "cultural and linguistic diversity" ("The principal prop of regional identity") is brought to the fore. For the first time the Committee of the Regions is given the right of bringing prosecutions before the European Court of Justice.(ECJ). The Centre for Applied Political Research claims that the regions have acquired "more bite" with their new powers and that they should continually strive to strengthen their position.

The German strategists are counting on increased influence for the German "Laender" (provinces). The provinces voted in their "European Ministers Conference" to step up their europolitical activities. In concert with the Committee of the Regions they form a new Interest Group ("Regions with Law-Making Powers", RegLeg for short). RegLeg combines the strongest regions of the EU under one roof - all the regions in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Italy and Great Britain which have far-reaching powers over internal policy and legislation. The RegLeg regions of most of the larger member states belong to this body. The CAP demands that this big-hitting group should be brought more closely into the work of the CoR.

"REFORM FOR GERMANY'S CAPABILITY TO ACT"

In the meantime events are underway to bind the sixteen German provinces more tightly to central political direction from Berlin. With the agreement of all factions, a federal commission of both house of parliament has been instituted for "the modernisation of the order of the federal state". The commission should report by the end of next year and is expected to cut the influence of the provinces by alterations to the constitution before the end of next year "so that Germany may be better and more simply governed".

The Bertelsmann Foundation (which cooperates with the CAP) and the party political foundations are meanwhile making contrasting demands that the provinces should be made more autonomous in financial matters as "International Centres of Competitiveness"). Acting on their own responsibility they could be stronger than before in competing for the favours of big business. It is claimed that this will give more beneficial conditions for the German economy in international competition.

See also previous reports on Free Nations site
Sources
Regionen und die Zukunft Europas; www.cap.uni.muenchen.de (Regions and the Future of Europe)

Die Rolle rer Regionen mit Gesetzgebungskomeptenzen im Konventsprozess;
www.europaminister.de
(The role of regions with law-making powers in the EU constitutional
convention process)