So we are still alive. There has been no apocalypse and no Armageddon. The Maya prediction was wrong, or perhaps, just misinterpreted. This is not the first time that doom-tellers have got it wrong. Humanity keeps marching on.

It is time for European citizens to possess Europe- Joseph Vella Bonnici

Humanity’s ambition to break new frontiers is impressive. Humans seem to have an insatiable drive for knowledge to better understand their origin and destiny in the search for immortality. Their journey is far from smooth; it is full of contradictions and conflicts.

Over the last centuries, Europeans were at the helm of this drive, putting the individual at the centre of things and promoting equality, solidarity and liberty. More recently, Europe talked about becoming the world’s leading, knowledge-based economy. Its new currency even started to challenge the supremacy of the US dollar.

Now, Europe seems to have lost sight of its vision; it is riddled with self-doubt and much of its bullishness is gone.

All that we read about is that Europe is ageing and that there should be no pensionable age, as European states can no longer afford decent pensions. Day after day, the media is full of stories about the euro crisis, about the Greek ‘economic’ tragedy and the growing divide between the euro countries and the rest.

There is more to Europe than all this. Undoubtedly, 2012 has been a difficult year for the EU but it is in difficult times that a skilful sailor proves his worth. The EU keeps marching on.

The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to the EU was a timely reminder that the glass is also half full. Such laurels are meant to put things in perspective and not to make EU leaders complacent or for them to reject constructive criticism.

Europe needs to rediscover its social conscience, to show real concern that its society is increasingly being split into two: a super rich upper class and the rest. It is unacceptable that one in every six persons across all the EU countries is at the risk of poverty and to have workers whose pay is not enough to buy the basic necessities.

It is too easy to blame the poor themselves. Their condition is the result of mistaken past policies, a blind trust in market forces and the belief that more riches for the well-off will pull up the lower classes. The erosion of the middle class in the EU is more the result of fundamental neo-liberal policies rather than a side effect of globalisation.

Europe has the capability to think outside the box. Does it make sense for fishermen in the EU to throw cheap, dead fish back into the sea not to jeopardise market prices?

The EU has declared 2013 as the European Year of Citizens. It hopes to reach out to its citizens to convince them of the continued validity of the European project.

The European Commission has to come down from its ivory tower and to put the interests of the middle class first. This is easier said than done, as François Hollande (and Barack Obama) is finding out for himself.

The EU is still in time to promote a different type of economic growth model, moving away from excessive consumerism and an irresponsible use of raw materials. The EU should champion the struggle against global warming. The present economic situation should not serve as an excuse to fall behind in reaching the 2020 energy targets. Europe needs to set its own path and not continue following the US which, in the next five years, is set to become the world’s largest oil producer.

Europe’s present problems are unlikely to go away in 2013. The outlook for economic growth remains bleak and a number of Mediterranean economies will remain in recession. The European Stability Mechanism and the banking union should help relieve the euro from some of the pressure it has been under in the last year. Europe needs to discover its ‘can-do’ spirit and take the necessary measures to complement fiscal discipline with economic growth.

The European project is also about embracing diversity and learning to work and live together. European citizens have to appreciate that, in the emerging global scenario, it pays them to stick together, in some form or another. By the way, on July 1, 2013, Croatia will become the 28th EU member.

Over the Christmas period, Europeans celebrate part of their common heritage which unites them. Christmas has come to mean different things to different European citizens. For many, it is a celebration of the incarnation of God’s son or, at least, of a great prophet. The non-religious celebrate Christmas as a family-feast; a reunion of relatives and old friends.

Celebrating the birth of a poor Jewish boy in a manger remains also a symbol of the beauty of simple things. More Europeans are rediscovering that there is more to life than just making money.

It is time for European citizens to possess Europe. Each one of us can make a difference in building a Europe with a big social heart and a genuine respect for the environment.

There will always be gloom and doom but this festive period should rekindle our determination to make 2013 the best ever for us, individually and collectively.

fms18@onvol.net

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