Re: Euros and Unions

[wfhummel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (William F. Hummel)]

Comments on Per's views about a United States of Europe:

Per wrote:
>FIRST a federal structure must be erected, with
>fiscal institutions and inter-national transfer systems, THEN a common
>currency can be introduced.
>
>Now, the first step cannot possibly succeed as long as the popular support
>for a federal state is as low as it is today. I conclude, therefore, that
>both the first and the second step must be avoided until there is sufficient
>popular support for a United States of Europe. I would be surprised if this
>support emerges within the next 20--30 years. So I think the whole project
>should be put on ice the next few decades or so.
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I fully agree with Per's point about the proper order of events
in the economic realm.  And as he points out, the cultural gaps
are far too great between the various states now to bridge over.
Also the multilingual problem appears to be insurmountable.  One
only needs to look at the bilingual state of Canada to see what
might be in store for a U.S.E. if it ever became a reality.
Whose languages would be the "official" languages of a U.S.E.?
How many translations would be required for official documents?
Does anybody know what happened to Esperanto?

William F. Hummel