Leadership for the future

The rejection of the European Constitution by the French and Dutch electorates has raised a number of questions about the future of the European Union. Something has gone wrong between the European political establishment and the citizens of the member states. It is not easy to frame the terms of the debate for what should unfold in the coming months but to simply say that we should forget about the European Constitution is not enough. In my view, the problems that this Constitution is intended to address are still there - a need for more efficient decision making; more openness and transparency; more clarity of rules. The European Union has to work better for everybody and the anxieties of people need to be addressed. European Commissioner Margot Wallstrom's reaction to the referendum results that she posted on her blog triggered numerous responses - 250 comments at the latest count. In her view, "European citizens are better educated, they are more demanding, including what they ask from their politicians and their elected leaders, and this requires great leadership for the future." From Margot Wallstrom's blog:

We will probably now see a debate that follows with also interpretation of exactly what kind of No this was. I have met a number of those who participated and said ‘No‘ in this referendum but who believe in European integration. They say that they don‘t think that this Constitution is the solution but they want European integration to continue and they believe in the European project. It is clear that people voted ‘No‘ for many reasons. Even in the comments section in this blog you see several shades of ‘No‘ – people who do not want the EU at all and people who think the idea of the EU is good but are not happy with how it is working. It is important to examine this thoroughly in order to find a solution.

Communication is not only about giving information. We in the EU have not been good at listening, and we have to work in a way where we are better at listening to citizens, and communicating with them. We have to be able to defend what we do in Europe, in the Council, the European Parliament and in the Commission, but also in the Member States. It takes political courage and leadership for politicians to negotiate something in ‘Brussels‘ and be able to go home and say they have reached a compromise that is the best for all of us. To be able to show the added value of working together at the European level. I think it is very important, otherwise we undermine the democratic legitimacy of the European project...

A pro-European NO? - Wired Temples

EU Constitution: Where each member state stands