In an incredibly conceited statement, Van Rompuy claims the EU is the fatherland (and to be P.C. he adds motherland) of democracy.
To demonstrate this point he highlights his very own appointment as President of the Council. Where once the Presidency was taken up by the head of one of the member states, it is now headed by an independent figure. Van Rompuy says this means where before the President acted in his or her own nation state's interest, now the President acts on behalf of all of Europe.
This begs the question, if the EU Council President's Office is now so legitimate that it can objectively represent the whole Union, could Van Rompuy along with Baroness Ashton put together a common foreign policy towards Palestine's statehood bid? The newspapers from the last few months indicate that they tried and failed.
The question is not: when will the EU hold the level of democratic legitimacy to be capable of representing all member states on the world stage, rather, the question is, will it ever?
To demonstrate this point he highlights his very own appointment as President of the Council. Where once the Presidency was taken up by the head of one of the member states, it is now headed by an independent figure. Van Rompuy says this means where before the President acted in his or her own nation state's interest, now the President acts on behalf of all of Europe.
This begs the question, if the EU Council President's Office is now so legitimate that it can objectively represent the whole Union, could Van Rompuy along with Baroness Ashton put together a common foreign policy towards Palestine's statehood bid? The newspapers from the last few months indicate that they tried and failed.
The question is not: when will the EU hold the level of democratic legitimacy to be capable of representing all member states on the world stage, rather, the question is, will it ever?
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