February 19, 2007
EVEN EUROPEAN NATIONS WANT OUT:
EU wants rest of world to adopt its rules (Tobias Buck, February 18 2007, Financial Times)
Brussels wants the rest of the world to adopt the European Union's regulations, the European Commission will say this week.A Commission policy paper that examines the future of the Union's single market says European single market rules have inspired global standard-setting in areas such as product safety, the environment, securities and corporate governance.
"Increasingly the world is looking to Europe and adopts the standards that are set here," the paper, seen by the Financial Times, says.
The paper calls on the EU to encourage other jurisdictions to follow suit - for example by "promoting European standards internationally through international organisation and bilateral agreements".
Outside of academia, urban cocktail parties and the Democratic cloakrooms on the Hill, is there anywhere that people wish their country was more like Europe?
Posted by Orrin Judd at February 19, 2007 10:26 AM
OJ,
At any given time, about 48-52% of the population wants the US to be more like Europe.
The fact is that our corporate class, our education establishment, and our media are slowly converting Americans into euro-trash.
The US Congress will capitulate to this initiative, and 1/3 of Republicans will vote for it, arguing that they have no choice.
Posted by: Bruno at February 19, 2007 11:07 AMAdd the huge public services unions.
Posted by: erp at February 19, 2007 11:30 AMLou Dobb's viewers, (not counting the ones forced to watch in the airport waiting areas).
Posted by: jeff at February 19, 2007 11:36 AMWhat 50% want they get. Only 13% of America is Europeanist.
Posted by: oj at February 19, 2007 12:58 PMJust another avenue for Brussels to extract taxes, penalties, tariffs from non EU countries and companies.
Posted by: KRS at February 19, 2007 1:30 PMYikes, that headline is way scarier than anything that has happened in the WOT-Iraqui War.
Posted by: ed at February 19, 2007 1:54 PMThe European Commission resembles Comical Ali more with each passing day. Especially in the fields that where cited, i.e. product safety, securities regulation and corporate governance, the EU follows where the US lead (for better or for worse).
Posted by: Peter at February 19, 2007 1:58 PMWho is surprised? The EU wants to hamstring all possible competitors. Up to now, that has meant playing the Chinese off against the US - but that won't last much longer. China and India are going to zoom right by Europe fairly soon (although China might implode before then). Why does the EU keep chipping away at Microsoft? Because the Euros have nothing to match it (SAP is a poor rival), and they don't want to concede the field completely.
Bruno: your guess is way too high. Maybe the percentages are high on the Upper West Side and in parts of San Francisco and Minneapolis and other Lefty havens, but not in Brooklyn or Staten Island or cities like Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Philly, Houston, Phoenix, and the like. The problem is that the Democratic party is led exclusively by people who love nothing more than going to Davos and preening.
There are parts of America that know NOTHING of Europe - NASCAR, the NRA, most of our charities, the NFL, Country & Western, etc. The press may love Europe, but broadcast media knows that it doesn't sell.
Of course, an emasculated liberal in the US isn't that much different from an emasculated liberal in Europe.
Posted by: ratbert at February 20, 2007 2:06 AMPlenty of immigrants coming into the EU, so apperently there are still people who think it makes a better home than their existing place of residence. Also plenty people leaving the EU. In the end the common market will put an end to much of the socialist nonsense coming out of Brussels, but as of now it looks like we are still wealthy enough to afford it.
Posted by: Daran at February 20, 2007 3:52 AMThere are plenty of American businesses who end up adopting European standards in order to compete in Europe. Anyone ever hear of ISO?
Posted by: Chris Durnell at February 20, 2007 11:05 AM