Democracy and the Merkelized EU

Jens Wernicke interviews Horst Teubert, editor of german-foreign-policy.com in Deutsche Eliten setzen auf aggressivere Außenpolitik, Militarisierung und Krieg Nachdenkseiten 07.07.2014 on the tendency among German elites for greater German assertiveness in foreign policy.

Und man sollte nicht vergessen: In einigen Bereichen sind grundlegende demokratische Rechte innerhalb der EU inzwischen faktisch aufgehoben worden. Die Spardiktate in der Euro-Krise, die Aktivitäten der EU-Troika sind demokratisch nicht legitimierte Eingriffe von außen in nationale Hoheitsrechte der verschuldeten EU-Staaten. Darüber wird viel zu wenig gesprochen.

[And one should not forget: In some ways, basic democratic rights inside the EU have in the meantime become in practice annulled {more literally "ablated"}. The austerity diktat in the euro crisis, the activities of the EU Troika are interventions without democratic legitimacy in national sovereign rights of the indebted EU states. Too little is said about that.]

That's very true!

This is the most disturbing fact about the austerity policies that Angela Merkel has successfully imposed on the crisis countries of the eurozone: the contempt for democratic processes that she's shown in doing so. Securing peace and democracy was the fundamental purpose of the European Union. And unfortunately, the past tense is looking increasing appropriate.

And while Merkel was imposed ruinous economic policies on various countries and in the process ousting the government of Greece and dictating a change of government in Italy, the EU has managed to largely ignore the authoritarian turn that Hungary has taken. On the ugly turn in Hungary, see Glenn Ellis, Hungary: Towards the Abyss Aljazeera English 05/22/2013.

Tags: angela merkel, austerity economics, authoritarianism, eu, euro, european union, hungary