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When democracy becomes an embarrassing detail. A bonus for populism and extremes?

(BRUSSELS2) Week after week, Europe continues to tighten the screws. With own measures that self-destruct as quickly as they were put in place. Many of the austerity measures put in place do not release the expected resources, the fall in consumption and therefore in growth annihilating the hoped-for gains. On the other hand, they provoke misunderstandings, exasperation and even hostility. Europe is slowly killing the European idea and weakening on a global level. The introduction of a tax on savings deposits in Cyprus is the latest avatar of a policy that has little to do with democratic and economic principles. If we wanted to scare all savers not only in Cyprus but all over Europe, we couldn't do it better...

Extreme populism is gaining ground

Governments are dropping like flies in the face of the crisis. Greece, Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus... the list is already long. And this should continue. At the social level, the phenomenon of immolations of the excluded continues in Bulgaria. And it would be wrong to see in it only the slag of a malaise. On the political level, the constitution of large coalitions is only a last resort which leaves a margin of growth to the most extreme oppositions. The danger does not seem to come from the far left today, despite all the predictions (or fears). It comes from a populism, more or less tinged with extremism, even downright extreme. Golden Dawn, True Finns, Jobbik, Ukip... These movements seem to be on the rise. Whether in southern, eastern or northern Europe, whatever the good or bad reasons, the sign of withdrawal has sounded. The victory of the gentillet populist of Beppe Grillo in Italy - so much cited as an example - is only an epiphenomenon. At the rate the reforms are going, it is not obvious that its voters will return cheerfully to the traditional parties once the disappointment in their leader has taken hold.

The criterion of acceptance by the population and respect for democratic rules become a detail

In the same way as in 2008, the European executive was slow to take the measure of the extent of the financial crisis; it seems today not to measure the extent of the political and social crisis that is deafening. It is not for lack of analyzing it. I remember a conversation with José-Manuel Barroso more than a year ago who anticipated political difficulties. Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier said recently that he feared a succession of crises. And Jean-Claude Juncker, the Luxembourg Prime Minister, has repeatedly sounded the alarm. We cannot qualify these three personalities as dangerous visionaries. But it is as if the European leaders did not dare to draw the consequences of their analysis, locked in a legal analysis of the Treaty. "We can't", "It's not planned", "not allowed" come back like leitmotifs. The "legal basis" dictates an iron law. And the decisions follow one another, each just as justified as the other, but mind-blowing in political terms. Because unjustifiable for a population. The criterion of "acceptability" by the population of the measures taken is considered negligible. As for respect for democratic rules, this is becoming an embarrassing "detail" in the European procedure.

A necessary paradigm shift

The situation is serious. And, this time, Europe cannot blame it on others. It is his own decisions, his own system of government that are at stake. And the anger could turn against her... If the financial crisis had its origins in a certain financial aberration and excessive deregulation, this crisis cannot seek its origins outside. It stems, for the most part, from decisions taken by European leaders. And it is a very bad signal in other countries. Faced with the danger, certain suicidal policies must be stopped, no doubt setting aside certain criteria of the pact: fixing the reduction of the debt as of inflation as a medium-term objective but not a short-term imperative (Bulgaria and Romania are today model States if we only look at this indicator!). And throw all the forces into the battle to restore some growth and lay the foundations not for a budgetary pact but for a fiscal and social pact (with minimum and maximum rates for corporate tax, for social contributions, for tax on capital gains, etc.) in order to avoid the effects of social/fiscal dumping but also losses of resources for the States.

If the Europeans do not act, in a fast, energetic and innovative way, but also understandable for its citizens, they will have succeeded in this challenge: saving the Euro but losing Europe...

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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