Final say- Looking back on EUP

One might think they know what it is all about when talking about Europe or more specifically the European Union. But what is behind the Euro and the easiness to travel without boarder control?
Most people's knowledge about this supranational body stops right there. If individuals are not directly affected by the EU’s doing, it seems that they are not being interested further. Most people do not realize that the milk farmer are protesting against EU legislation which needs to prevent over supply and so further secure economies of third world countries. In addition, some people do not understand the value of an Union which consists by now of 27 culturally different countries, which all exist under EU regulations which is already a challenge for itself .

The minor of European Policies Studies will give you an insight of all the background and further will explain the main issues regarding policies as well as historically and presently.
It will give you the understanding on what the EU is based on and how it has been developed. You will learn that there are so much legislation that it might make you wonder how the EU is actually handling everything. Further, you will visualize your own opinion about certain aspects. The European Union is being praised for a lot of things as well as criticized for even more. Most students which take the minor seriously, will argue with you even outside the classroom. Fortunately, you are able to write down some of your arguments about one certain topic in an individual paper.

The most interesting experience you will have in the semester is a trip to a lot of EU institutions which are located not only in Brussels, but rather in Strasbourg and also in Luxembourg. This year the students were able to see the European Council, the Parliament and the European Court of Human rights , next to the European Investment Bank and several other institutions. We were listed to people given us an insight of their work or of the institution they work at as well as we were able to follow some of the ongoing sessions the students were so impressed that you could listen to their wish to work in Brussels on one point in their life.

I personally have gained much more knowledge about the Union we live in and personally feel a little embarrassed not to have know a little more about it before this minor. It opened my mind for thinking across the borders, as well as how the EU is seen outside its territory.
The only discord I am facing in this minor is the ignorance of some of the students. Just imagine that the EU has about 50,000 people working on the same goal: unity and growth.
But when you ask a class from about 35 students to do exactly that, you might be getting disappointed.

Human Nature

The world wide credit crunch busted out over a year ago and was, in economical sense, upending the global financial market. It led to a collapse in the financial, investing and homeowner sectors of the United States and which then spread worldwide. Looking at such advanced nations, should we not wonder, why it is that the financial crisis is actually happening?

Why has no one listened to these people who actually predicted what is happening?
Robert Schiller, an economist who had already precisely forecasted the stock market collapse in 2001, foresaw that home prices in the United States would fall to that extent that global financial markets would be affected by it, was only among a handful of other US economists who forecasted scenarios close to what is actually happening. Maybe the small numbers of “prophets” is a reason why no one has or wanted to listen, but then should we not wonder why there were so few?

Why have people been unethical in their action and why did no one stop them?
The significance this situation created was that after the financial system lowered their interest rates to one percent in 2001 investors would not invest anymore. To keep up the incoming profits, mortgages were sold to the financial system who sold these back to investors. After everyone, qualified for mortgages, was a house owner, they started to give out sub-prime mortgages to keep profits flowing in. Not surprisingly, these new homeowners could not complete their monthly payments which put more houses on the market than there was demand, and which ended in low value houses that nobody wants or can afford anymore.
Here, managements driven by the pursue of wealth and bad skills in risk management put their hands in this area to keep profits growing. To answer, why no one stopped them, is simply because they did not do anything illegal. They created legally a disaster without proper forecast. We sincerely hope they have been now downgraded to mortgage brokers.


And finally, why a recession is likely to happen again. It is obvious, at least since the crisis, that country’s economies have been globalized. Travel, trade, tourism, cross boarder supply created new markets, new companies, new customers. Unfortunately, politics remain on national level which can develop into a policy clutter. This mix, of economic dependents and political disparity, led and will lead again to financial disasters, especially when we look at the rapid growth of nations in the last decades. Without better international policy agreements who can keep up entire global progress?

To sum up, the global financial crisis happened because there were not enough economists who predicted what will happen, because business people tried to increase their capital with immoral methods and because the world is economical connected but political differently.
It can be concluded that there are developing backgrounds which led to the global collapse but no reasonable answers on why people let it happen. One could cite a late music icon who pasted during this global matter, "If they say 'Why, why?' Tell’em that its human nature."

Somalia's Doom

David Blair,a diplomatic editor of the Telegraph, published in November 2008 the "Analysis of a failed state". The article can be referred to under
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/somalia/3479010/Somalia-analysis-of-a-failed-state

In 1991, after President Mohammed Siad Barre was overthrown, Somalia's government collapsed and has not restored since then. Its long coastline of over 3000km is a major trade route between the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. With conflicts being out of control even off the countries coast today, it should be asked if Somalis is not only a failed state but a world-wide endangerment.

As stated in the article:' The fundamental cause of the conflict lies in Somalia's bitter clan rivalries.' Even if Somalis are mostly from the same tribe, sharing the same language and religion, they are divided in clans, sub-clans, and sub-sub clans, with a war lord for each of these, fighting for resources in the dried up country. After the US' army failed to restore order in 1992, and after Ethiopia captured Mogadishu in 2006 and created an international administration without any influence, makes other nations hesitate to send their own groups to regain peace.

In addition, radical Islamists have expanded to Somalia which are now controlling most of Somalia's south. Even if nations are waking up and trying to go against the birth of a radical Islamic state in East Africa, it became very difficult for the outside to intervene. In a country with no national police, army or effective government, an estimated 70% of died livestock, two million people in need of food aid, and a further 500,000 wandering the country searching for help, even external aid groups are not able to reach the country’s core, which makes it simply impossible to help Somalia- at least right now.

Beyond these problems, piracy is increasing as a result from the enduring war and to the benefits of the conflicting clans. Through the non-existing government, fisherman from abroad took advantage and overfished the Somalia coast which had a severe impacted on domestic fishers who had to utilize piracy. Certainly some of that money, which is the major income resource with $ 150 m last year alone, is used to fund the warlord’s future operations with more powerful weapons, bigger boats and more sophisticated equipment.

To conclude, reviewing these few examples of arising problems regarding Somalia, it is eligible to talk about a danger to the world not only about it being a failed state, which now also found a stable income resource if the trade route will not be avoided. The only way to stop the violence is to regain a proper national government which might seem to most of the world as an abortive attempt.

Living the Dutch life...

Coming from a big city could make you feel you being put in a tiny box when getting to Breda at first.

But when you get used to the compact living you realize that Breda has to offer as much as a bigger place in terms of going out. Furthermore, you will discover some advantages of living in such a petite city.

Even when Breda is one of the smallest cities you’ve ever visited (assuming you are not a Dutchman) you will meet people from all over the world when the sun is out and moreover after the sun has set.

As a student in Breda you will visit the weekly French and Hungarian parties or eat at German’ BBQs - all accompanied with lots of beer, wine or typical Dutch shots, of course.

When you ready to move along you will find yourself in Breda’s city centre where you will always be wondering how a small city like this can hold so many people living in it, especially on weekend nights. Having a drink in one of Breda’s many bars and moving along to the next bar you will meet half of the people you know in the city and end up visiting as many bars as possible.

Students can be found nearly every night of the week in Breda. Besides Mondays you can experience life music on Tuesday, school parties on Wednesday, thirsty Thursday also know as student’s night, and the usual going out on weekend nights.

However, the most interesting side of going out in Breda are the many festivals happening in the warmer month. From March till September there are a vast numbers of days where the city is listening to all kinds of music. Here you will experience what is meant by living the Dutch live…

It's not a Love Affair

European Union

There was chuckling to be heard when Mr Wegler entered the room. He is an aged man with horn-rimmed-like glasses and eyebrows sprawled in all directions which might show all the long days and nights he had to work in his earlier times.

Mr. Wegler explains to the students that he is Dutch and retired from his position as a former civil servant, spokesman and adviser of the EU, while he was acting in place of a tutor for an European Policies class at AVANS Hogeschool on September 7^th .The class’ students were expecting a common lecture with distractions of their own thoughts or abusing their pens.

However, when he started explaining his personal background it was clear that he would give the students an individual insight of his experience and attention was put on his words rather than his looks. With his enthusiastic voice and movements it was easy to see that he is proud of his background and experience he gained during working for the EU. He speaks several languages and gave the international students the feeling they had been understood.

Even though the students were aware of the EU's background and its structure it was impressive to hear a voice who has experienced the EU's beginning with only six member states. He also took part in Germany’s reunification and spoke of times when there were only a few journalists at summits. Through illustrating the complexity of the ‘Brussels' kitchen’, Wegler emphasized his statement that the European Union ‘is not a love affair’ with showing that the ‘menu’ always has to be presented by the commission, with 25,000 servants underneath it, in all 24 languages and then has to be reviewed by two other institutions which are located somewhere else. In fact, it is an institution where compromises have to be made transnational, so should it be called the largest democratic polygamy instead?

He finishes with the statement that he would not believe in an “United States of Europe” in the future but he was certain that the European integration is necessary to fight global issues and to confront other big nations. Regardless, the students did not get their answer on how the EU is and will be handling the current recession but everybody could divine that there is a European unity in Brussels.