Ingmar Karlsson is a Swedish career-diplomat, currently Sweden's Consul General in Istanbul. He is also a long-time writer on European and Middle-east politics (see www.absif.com). In his latest book Regionernas Europa, (Europe of the Regions), regions are, he argues, one of the key issues of European identity.
– My argument is that, for almost fifty years, we have tried to establish a level of popular cohesion in Europe, and we have not succeeded. In fact, we have almost failed, particularly remembering how both the Dutch and the French only a year ago rejected the proposal for a European Constitution, Karlsson continues.
– The trouble is that the proposal for the Constitution came from above. It was a complicated document constructed by elite-bureaucrats in Brussels. It was not something which grew out of a political debate among laymen. Therefore the majority said 'no'. They would not say yes to a political change that they had not asked for, and often did not understand, Karlsson underlines.
In the 14th century, Europe had a population of 80 million people, living in more than 500 different territorial units, be they independent principalities, free cities or cantons, or other feudal states. Power was predominantly expressed through the control of the tax revenue power of cities, which were, subsequently, to form the basis of regions.
In other words, most of the current 25 European Union members, with the exception of the Nordic countries, have long traditions of dealing with powerful regions.
Many of these regions also have their own representations in Brussels. For example, the 16 federal states of Germany and the 17 autonomous regions of Spain all have such offices.
On the other hand, only three member states, namely Belgium, Germany and Austria are, constitutionally speaking, federal states.
Karlsson is not against the attempt to create a European identity, rather he is in favour of it: – But we have to start with the regions, and go from them to the nations, and only thereafter move further on towards the Union.
We must understand that for a Catalan it is his or her regional belonging, that is more important than their Spanish nationality, while for a Bavarian, being 'Bavarian' remains more important than being German, or that without regions Belgium would quickly collapse, argues Karlsson.
What are the chances of building a European United States?
– In truth, I'm not sure, but at least I think this is much easier for the new immigrants. A Somali or a Vietnamese will have a lot to gain in such state-formation. They would not, like us Nordics, see this as something where they might loose more than they gain, Ingmar Karlsson concludes.