Why the European Union will collapse

Reuters carried a story today about the European Union's new crackdown on member states that fail to adopt EU rules on noise pollution.

The European Commission started legal action against eleven countries -- Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Britain -- that have missed the July 2004 deadline to enact national laws to reduce the noise of traffic, machinery and airplanes in their cities.

"The EU's objective is to substantially reduce the number of people in Europe affected by noise by 2012," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas said.

It's difficult to imagine a more local issue than noise in a city. If it doesn't bother the people of Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal and Britain, why should it bother the European Commission?

The European Union can only stay in business if it gives up all hope of enforcing its rules. Any time it tries to order a sovereign nation to raise its taxes, cut its spending, limit its automobile and air traffic or carry out any other directive from Brussels bureaucrats, it will have its head handed to it by the national governments that have to face their own voters before too long.

The EU is fighting the principle of government by consent of the governed. It will not win. If the EU bureaucrats want to continue to enjoy the lavish perks of Emerald City, they'd be well advised to remember that the Wizard of Oz didn't really have any power.



Copyright 2005


.