Alexandru Amititeloaie[1]

p. 349 - 363

Abstract

European integration, begun more than 60 years ago, has always faced, with each legal measure adopted in this respect, the resistance of the European peoples that have always been afraid to lose their sovereignty. Camouflaged in an attractive packaging for Europeans, political integration has constantly continued its course, since what has been done so far in the economic sphere, accepted by peoples out of reasons that keep to prosperity and progress, could not have been possible without the transfer of political decisions from a national to a community level. In other words, this means giving up on national sovereignty in favor of some superstatal authorities; however, Europeans have never been told this directly.

Now, when the process is quite advanced and one may notice that in certain national affairs the internal authorities, democratically chosen by the citizens, no longer have the power to make a decision, the issue of sovereignty is thus more often brought into public attention, the reactions against being more and more radical. Political leaders tackle differently the issue of sovereignty, and subsequently states regard this issue as being more or less important, comparing it to other issues considered now more urgent, such as for instance the crisis and its effects.

The latest treaty for the establishment of the European Financial Stability Facility, by its content, unfortunately too little known and analyzed in the public sphere, represents perhaps the most important step towards the almost definitive abandonment of national sovereignty. The British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, declared right after the Summit of the European Council on 9th December 2011: “There are countries willing to give away their national sovereignty and the control over national budgets, so as to make the Eurozone more functional”. Romania is obviously part of these countries, if we take into consideration the attitude of submission that our leaders adopt towards the power organisms of the European Union.

But giving up on its national sovereignty, Romania seems to be receiving nothing in exchange and this makes us wonder on the commitments of our leaders, more exactly in favor of whom and on what grounds are these commitments exerted. One should also emphasize the fact that the process of Romania’s integration in the European Union was done without consulting the people. Taking into consideration the fact that the integration implies, as one may notice, the abandonment of national sovereignty, we should ask ourselves the question whether those who decided the European integration had a clear mandate from the rightful owner of sovereignty, i.e. the Romanian people, as is stipulated in the Romanian Constitution, article 2, paragraph (1).

Keywords: European Union, sovereignty, federation, European Commission

[1]Alexandru Amititeloaie, Ph.D., is Reader at „George Bacovia” University of Bacău, Romania; contact: amititeloaie.at.yahoo.com

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