EU Summit in Grece

Stop The Europan Union

Starting on Friday, June 19, planned massive protests will be evidence of European residents oposition to the European Union (EU). The EU will be having a three-day summit near Thesaloniki in Greece. While many in the US may not see the problems of the EU and may see it as a lesser evil than the US government, its problems are numerous. It is an istitution that was carefully constructed, like the WTO, to insulate the rulers from the people and still claim to be democratic. While EU citizens vote for the European Parliament, the real power is held by the European Council and the European Commission. These bodies are appointed by heads of state and the European Parliament is only able to make proposals and has no veto power over eventual laws. The European Parliament will not participate in the summit, because they don´t actually make decisions. The European people have lost power to an institution. The EU has become a huge bureaucracy in Brussles. Local people should be solving local problems. All governments are bad, but centralizing power is far worse.
The EU was formed from three financial unions which joined in order to be able to make more money. Its goal seems to be to gain world economic power using the new Euro currency in order to be more competitive with the US. Large European corporations have become the main winners. They ship their products across borders at will while local producers are pushed out of business.
Some countries, primarily Germany and France, dominate while claiming that all are equal. Now the EU is set to expand from 15 to 25 countries. The new members will be primeraly Eastern European countries, politically and economically weak. So far in the EU the richer countries have become richer at the expense of countries such as Spain and Portugal. This will continue as more poorer countries are added. This situation is basically a NAFTA for Europe and the EU is actually expanding to compete with NAFTA and the upcoming FTAA. The EU deceptively uses the strategy of capitalism with a human face. Thus, unlike NAFTA, EU citizens can live and work in any EU country. As poor countries have joined, thousands have moved to richer countries in search of a way to survive. This is not a real solution to inequalities of wealth.
Militarization is also a key feature. The new Rapid Deployment Force is being built up to compete with the US armed forces. Its budget was just raised from 24 to 27 billion a year. Centralization of the police and the expansion of their powers to all of Europe, has led to a loss of local control and oversight.
The EU passes laws that affect millions of people in very diverse situations. Blanket laws will be worsen conditions in many countries. It is difficult to oppose new laws since they have to be opposed on a EU wide level. As a governing body the EU is very centralized while unions, NGO´s, activists and civil society groups are divided by region. The EU has imposed many huge infrastructure projects that damage the environment. These projects are often opposed by local people and even sometimes the governments of countries where they are built. This one country opposition does not necesarily affect the EU bureaucracy at all.
This year´s summit will be in Greece. The government of Greece is supposedly socialist but every day it becomes more conservative. It has been in power for eight years and will continue its neoliberal programs. Also the political situation of Greece has been massivly affected by a seven year dictatorship in the 70´s that was supported by the US. Greece is now preparing for the Summer Olympics, to be held next year. Public space has been taken over and homes threatened with demolition to make room for the games. One of the only parks in Athens was recently fenced in, restricting access, and cameras and gaurds will soon be in place. On Saturday, June 14, people tore down the fences for the third time and rioted when police tried to stop them.
The EU summit´s main topic is immigration and new members. While EU citizens are free to move about, the EU has worked tirelessly to strengthen its exterior borders to refugees and economic migrants. This situation is called Fortress Europe by many. Before the EU a refugee could attempt to get to the country of thier chioce before asking for asylum. Now they are forced to do so in the first EU country they get to. The newly joining Eastern European countries will become a buffer for the richer Western countries. Thus, refugees who speak the language of their former colonial masters will not be allowed to claim asylum in these countries, but intead in places like Poland and Hungary. Forming a single centralized database of immigrants is high on the EU´s list of priorities. The European Union´s freedom, welfare and democracy policies don´t have enough room for everyone.
So many will protest. This world is ours and we plan to take it. On Thursday, June 19, we will march through Thesaloniki for rights for all immigrants. On Friday we will take busses 80 miles to the Chalkidiki Penninsula to try to enter the Red Zone and have a chat with the EU bureaucrats to discuss what kind of world we want to live in. On Saturday we will again be in Thesaloniki with huge marches.
Greece is not a country known for nonviolent action. Violence on the part of demonstraters and police is expected. Protestors are preparing, but thousands of police and soldiers have also been mobilized to make sure the bureaucrats sip their cocktails and dominate the planet in peace. Police may also take preemptive action as they have at other EU summits. People in other parts of the world should think about planning solidarity demonstrations if the situation gets too bad or if protestors are killed.

For more info check out: thesaloniki.indymedia.org and athens.indymedia.org