Eurotopia

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Eurotopia is the name of various visions, some of which are overlapping, that deal with possible developments in Europe .

Eurotopia - Alfred Heineken

The United States from Europe to Heineken / Van den Doel / Wesseling

The vision of the Dutch businessman and brewer Alfred Heineken to divide the European Union into 75 regions, inspired by Leopold Kohr's philosophy (“Disunion Now”), which should then form the United States of Europe . This was published in 1992 in the book The United States of Europe (a Eurotopia?) .

concept

Heineken's initial consideration was the assumption that a Europe with 350 million inhabitants at the time was ungovernable, which is why decentralization in regions with 5 to 10 million inhabitants was necessary. The division into the various regions proposed by the Leiden historian Wim van den Doel was based on Heineken's consultations with Henk Wesseling , then professor of general history at the University of Leiden . The basis was the ethnic distribution areas according to which the division was based. This should under the motto "Above all, eliminate the supremacy of the large EU member states and thus guarantee more stability, equality and peace." At the same time, the administration should also be structured more efficiently.

Eurotopia - Andreas Gross

Visions of a group, formally founded in Rostock in 1991, led by Andreas Gross and Bruno Kaufmann - recently also Theo Schiller ( University of Marburg ) - of a " transnational " Europe, a "transnational democratization" that has appeared again and again since the 1970s and in various meetings be discussed , including and interpreting the experiences of the Swiss political system , including “ direct democracy ”. “Transnational democratization” is understood to mean the creation of a democratic “European state”.

"We can and should learn to imagine the future of Switzerland as a national canton within a new European federal state."

- Andreas Gross, quoted by Paul Ruppen

proposals

The group also formulated its “Eurotopian” proposals for provisions specific to democracy and federalism in the European constitution , and introduced them as a basis for discussion:

  1. The European Constitution (EV) becomes legally binding after the majority of eligible voters in each member state of the European Union (EU) have approved it in a national referendum vote.
  2. Every change and extension of the EV requires the approval of a majority of EU citizens as part of a European referendum vote and the approval of three quarters of the EU member states (“double majority ”).
  3. Changes to the EV can be proposed by the European Parliament and by the citizens themselves. This requires 5 percent of the signatures of EU citizens who are entitled to vote; this number of signatures must contain at least one percent of the eligible voters from each EU member state. The two chambers of the European Parliament (EP) recommend that EU citizens approve or reject the EV change. The first signatories of a constitutional amendment can also withdraw their initiative.
  4. In the EV, uniform protection of fundamental rights for all EU citizens in accordance with the ECHR is established, as are basic social and ecological norms and the rights of minorities and transnational regions. These basic norms and rights may be extended by the EU states, but not undercut. The PA defines precisely those areas in which the EU is allowed to set European law .
  5. EU laws require the consent of both chambers of the EP, the representation of EU citizens - the MEPs - as well as the representation of the EU states. In the latter, each state, regardless of its size, is represented by three senators. These are chosen according to the national electoral law provided for this in each case. The representatives are elected according to a common, proportional right to vote.
  6. Every state has the right to opt out of the scope of an EU legal norm or an EU law by means of a national referendum decision with the majority of its citizens who are eligible to vote.
  7. One percent of the electorate of an EU state or a transnational region can at any time submit proposals to the EP for changes in EU law that are equivalent to the proposals of the members of the EP.
  8. The disadvantages that arise because of the size, linguistic diversity and structure of the EU and the possibilities and opportunities for action for citizens, citizen groups and citizen movements on a transnational level, will be reduced from an EU democracy resource fund.
  9. Any member state of the EU can leave the EU.
- Andreas Gross, quoted by Paul Ruppen

literature

Eurotopia - Alfred Heineken:

  • Alfred H. Heineken: The United States of Europe (a Eurotopia?) , With Henk Wesseling, Wim van den Doel, De Amsterdamse Stichting voor de Historische Wetenschap, Amsterdam 1992 / Hallwag, 2nd ed. 1992, 18 p., ISBN 90- 9005-272-0 , ISBN 9789090052724

Eurotopia - Andi Gross:

  • Roland Erne, Andreas Gross, Bruno Kaufmann, Heinz Kleger (eds.): Transnational Democracy - Impulses for a Democratic Europe Realotopia, Zurich 1995, ISBN 3907586158 , ISBN 978-3907586150
  • Bruno Kaufmann, Peter Köppen: The Rostock Process, 1991-2004: On the way to more direct democracy in Europe , 2001

Web links

Eurotopia - Alfred Heineken:

Eurotopia - Andi Gross:

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1991 co-founder of the European democracy and constitutional movement “eurotopia” in: Andreas Gross - Political Stations , on andigross.ch
  2. ↑ Andi Gross: Congratulations on the first and a wish for the second 20 years: Rethink the strategy! - A (self) critical greeting from Andi Gross (Switzerland) in: Festschrift: 20 Years of More Democracy (PDF; 1.8 MB) on mehr-demokratie.de, pages 58–61
  3. ^ "Eurotopia is a network for creative thinking, philosophy and debate about concepts and actions towards a participative democratic political governance and social living together in Europe. Initiators are Andreas Gross, Bruno Kaufmann, and Theo Schiller. " - Invitation to: " Change Europe bottom up! - Eurotopia Colloquium - 28 February - 1 March 2014 in Bonn / Alfter " on web caec.eu " Citizens' Alliance for a European Convention - CAEC "
  4. ↑ z. B. eurotopia - eurotopia is back and invites you to a discussion with the Dutch Minister for Europe (PDF; 53 kB) , April 2009; eurotopia transnational Conference on the plan for a European Constitution / eurotopia - Summer Colloquium on the European Constitutional Project , June 2002
  5. ^ Andreas Gross, eurotopia bulletin, 2/96, September 1996
  6. ^ A b Paul Ruppen: Eurotopia - an ambivalent idea , Europa Magazin, March 2, 1996.
  7. ^ Andreas Gross: On the political construction site Europe , Zurich, Realotopia, 1996, pp. 235–237