A social project for the European Union

By Marin Pitavy

This essay is one of the winners of the Fall 2021 Chair’s Essay Competition on the topic of: “What cause do you think Europe should mobilize around next?” 

The ecological transition: time for disillusionment

The European Union (EU) has already proved its strong commitment to the climate. Leading the global fight against climate change with the European Green Deal, it has endorsed a legal target of carbon neutrality in 2050 and a 55% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (European Commission, 2020). Moreover, it has armed itself with relevant tools to attain its goal. The plan “Fit For 55”, the carbon market and its upcoming border adjustment mechanism, as well as the ban on the sale of emissive vehicles in 2035 are just a few examples of the means the EU is willing to deploy (European Commission, 2021).

However, this necessary transition essentially relies on technological solutions. The EU is responding to the most important crisis of our generation through electric cars, renewable energy, and hydrogen aircraft. The EU’s battle against climate change is in fact a technical rather than an ecological transition since it questions methods rather than motives. The paradigms of growth and consumption are still being preached under the pretext of relaunching the economy: the aim is clearly to mitigate the effects of climate change rather than to eliminate its causes.

The carbon market is a striking example of a liberal solution to an issue caused by the abuses of liberalism itself: let’s save the planet but, above all, let’s not change the rules. Whatever our political leaders can say, we are de facto still in a “business as usual” model.

Einstein had the wisdom to warn us: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them”. Our excessive use of technology has alienated us and we have neglected the central place of human in the ecological transition: it might be time to question our way of thinking. The mindset with which we approach the climate issue may not be the most appropriate and there are two main reasons for that.

The first one is pragmatic: using technical solutions to deal with climate disruption may mitigate its impacts, but not solve it. This would only delay the problem and let it for future generations, as it has already been the case for too long.

The second reason has to do with ideological concerns: breaking out of our traditional thinking could be salutary for our societies. Although I cannot convince anyone to believe this subjective claim, this essay will attempt to demonstrate how the application of this ideology could materialize through beneficial pragmatic examples.

Before approaching possible solutions to this social problem, I would like to think ahead and address some concerns: is it the role and mandate of political institutions to deconstruct our current societal model? To the extent that these same institutions have largely tolerated, even supported and encouraged its construction, I believe it is.

For a new project of society

The commitment of the world’s states in the fight against climate change gives hope that, despite some inevitable losses, the planet will be saved. However, human societies are on the verge of collapse and are suffering from dehumanization. A new social project for the EU is crucial to avoid the loss of social cohesion.

Excessive liberalism has proved its failure multiple times. A telling example is the U.S. labor market, which is currently experiencing a labor shortage. After the pandemics, many American workers do not want to go back to work under the same arduous conditions, and the savings from successive lockdowns offer them the opportunity to be free – at least temporarily – from their jobs (Leonhardt, 2021). Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has called this phenomenon “the revolt of American workers” (Krugman, 2021). Although the American situation is somewhat different from that of Europe, it should once again warn us against forgetting a part of the population.

The first measures of this social project should safeguard basic social achievements before trying to go further. A minimum wage must be introduced throughout the EU and social protection policies should be extended and strengthened to guarantee a decent life. It is indeed of core importance to demonstrate that the Union benefits all its citizens: the EU has developed primarily through its economic strength and welfare but is also tributary of its economic success. During recent crises, the increase in the unemployment rate has strongly undermined confidence in the EU.

To develop this social project, a European taxation structure might be necessary. The EU could go beyond the upcoming global corporate tax rate of 15% and agree on a higher rate, closer to the one currently applied in its member states (Asen, 2021). Tax rates on extreme incomes could also be increased and standardized. Indeed, wealth redistribution not only provides financial means to implement costly social measures but also directly tackles climate change: the carbon emissions of the richest 1 percent are twice as high as those of the poorest half of humanity (Oxfam, 2020). Stopping excessive wealth that leads to overconsumption would enable to deconstruct this collective imagination of the eternal desire to possess more.

Citizens at the core of democracy

The EU is facing a rise in populism. While Brexit has paved the way to multiple nationalist impulses, Poland and Hungary are threatening to stop abiding by EU laws. This Euroscepticism and the EU’s handling of the climate issues may in fact be two sides of the same coin. By resorting to technical solutions and putting social concerns on the back burner, the EU is fueling its residents’ disengagement. As executive director of WeMove Europe – an NGO dedicated to citizen participation – Laura Sullivan recently declared, “The less we engage, the more things fall apart”: a successful social project must put the European people at the heart of democracy (European Network of Ombudsmen, 2019).

As citizens question the legitimacy of the EU, bringing them closer to decision-making processes would engage them more in the realization of the European projects. This option could materialize through several measures.

First, cross-border deliberative consultations should be multiplied and reinforced. They hardly exist today and have always met with clearly mitigated success. To a greater extent, referendums offer a more advanced concretization of such citizens’ consultations but, as a consequence, carry more risks: while they might highlight strong disagreements and Euroscepticism, they also put major European issues at the center of citizens’ debates. Finally, participative democracy should be used to bring power into the hands of Europeans and sensitize them more about the importance of democratic organization.

A complete project

The European social project must be total: while combatting social exclusion, the EU must also advocate for democratic inclusion. By considering those forgotten by globalization and disfavored by liberalization, the democratic debate would be enriched by their participation. Whereas the founding fathers of the EU aspired to a common project for society, I believe that the construction of a new collective imagination, respectful of human beings, is equal to the ambitions of the Union.

The European project is being built slowly but surely. Founded on strong social achievements, it will enable the EU to go further and to complete the ecological transition it has initiated. Nevertheless, no technological tool can perform this task: it will certainly require a shift of paradigm.

May I conclude this essay with the words of the Brazilian union activist Chico Mendes: “Ecology without class struggle is gardening”.

References

Asen, E. (2021, April 8). 2021 Corporate Tax Rates in Europe. Retrieved from Tax Foundation: https://taxfoundation.org/2021-corporate-tax-rates-in-europe/

Commission, E. (2020, March 4). Making the EU climate-neutral by 2050. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_335

Commission, E. (2021, July 14). EU economy and society to meet climate ambitions. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_21_3541

European Network of Ombudsmen. (2019). Democracy in Europe: making citizen participation meaningful. Retrieved from Network in Focus 2019: https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/webpub/eno-newsletter/2019/1/en/chapter1.html

Krugman, P. (2021, October 14). Why More American Workers Are Quitting. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/opinion/workers-quitting-wages.html

Leonhardt, D. (2021, October 20). Where are the Workers? Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/briefing/labor-shortage-us-low-wage-economy.html

Oxfam. (2020, September 21). Carbon emissions of richest 1 percent more than double the emissions of the poorest half of humanity. Retrieved from https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/carbon-emissions-richest-1-percent-more-double-emissions-poorest-half-humanity