Return to Maasticht
Maastricht is on the border between Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. It gave birth to the euro, and the city gave its name to the European treaty that was negotiated 20 years ago. However, the Netherlands will not celebrate this anniversary, even though there are some signatures of well-known politician’s on the walls of a famous wine-cellar in this city.
During the euro crisis the Netherlands asked for tougher measures and rigid fiscal rules. The immigration minister has been tightening the immigration policy even for EU citizens. The Dutch are sceptical against certain new Member States’ joining the EU’s Schengen passport-free travel zone. This is because there is a huge support for anti-immigration parties, and the Prime Minister has to work with these parties to form a government.
It is incomprehensible that Wilders’s party topped the polls in Maastricht, given that the city is popular with cross-border shoppers and short-break holiday-makers, and half of the university students speak English.
Nevertheless, one can argue that this party is not anti-immigration, but rather anti-Islam. People are afraid of Muslim extremists. They believe that you should not bite the hand that feeds you; as a guest you have to respect the rules of the place you want to live in. Moreover, since 9/11 people have become more afraid of the possibility of such an event also occurring in their cities. They just ask themselves when there will be another terrorist attack.
At the moment the institution of “Europe” is not working efficiently, as the ordinary people consider European Parlementarians to be part of a grabbing-culture. Europe is time-wasting and unjust, even though the euro is one of the best things that has ever happened for Europe.
No comments:
Post a Comment