How EU will work in practice
If you follow euobserver.com, you have noticed that whatever else the EU organization is doing, there is a meeting of the big 5. This is Brirain, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy. See the lastest story. I rather think this is how the EU will operate in practice. The big 5 had a long history of working together, they are the core of NATO in Europe and of the EU, they are the largest states, economies, and militaries, and most importantly, Europe has always been run by her leading powers. The rival system of states that emerged during the Renaissance, and later the Concert of Europe when the Great Powers formally governed through the Congress System all work this way. The big powers expect it, and the little powers seem resigned to it. Regardless of what the EU constitution says, I predict this is how problems will be solved.
Imagine the Governors of California, New York, Texas, Florida, and Illinois sitting down and deciding how their Congressional delegations will vote in order to create a unified policy, in effect to direct policy for the rest of the states. Of course it could not work here. Congressional delegations won't take instructions from governors, and the very structure of the Senate anticipated such a move by the big states, as represented by the New Jersey Plan in the founding debates. The American big 5 I mentioned only have 10 out of 50 Senators. The same influence as North Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and West Virgina. Europe lacks a New Jersey Plan sensibility to restrain its Virginia Plan history and impulse.
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