> From: "William S. Lear" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [PEN-L:9986] Re: Europe > I see the EU as doing what was claimed---getting democracy away from > the hordes and into the hands of the Responsible Men . . . This really depends on how the political structure develops. The story really remains to unfold. So far, to the best of my knowledge, there is no explicit mechanism to contravene national sovereignty. Of course, the single currency and monetary authorities are similarly insulated in the opposite sense. On the whole, I would not dispute that presently the EU is more bureaucratic than democratic. The autonomy of national governments is more of a hindrance than not from at least one important standpoint: it makes more difficult the harmonization of taxes, the alleviation of tax competition, and a more effective taxation of capital. MBS =================================================== Max B. Sawicky Economic Policy Institute [EMAIL PROTECTED] 1660 L Street, NW 202-775-8810 (voice) Ste. 1200 202-775-0819 (fax) Washington, DC 20036 Opinions above do not necessarily reflect the views of anyone associated with the Economic Policy Institute. ===================================================
