Showing posts with label Serbia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Serbia. Show all posts

Friday, June 4, 2010

Drivers and Passengers without Borders

As an American, one of the things that impresses me about Europe is the amount of political risk-taking the average European is willing to step up and try as a citizen of the EU.  To tinker with elements of government as basic as currency, and border controls, and levels of local vs. continental control requires a level of shared vision that I find extraordinary in such a compressed space of time. These people are really taking thoughtful yet exciting risks with their governance.

I look at the resistance to change in reforming an outrageously dysfunctional element of American society,  health care, and then compare that to European real and actual political risk-taking and marvel at what they get done.  I celebrate one of the EU reforms that I believe Europeans cherish:  the right to cross country borders within the EU without inspection or stopping. It completely serves the people's interest.

Our travel itinerary to Sofia
included crossing the borders of
Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria.

The ability to just drive through the border
stopped when we reached Serbia.
Serbia is not a member of the EU.

 When you are here in Europe,
not being a member of the EU
seems like you and your fellow citizens
have lower class status.

Everyone piles out of the bus
while we go through Serbian border controls.

It was definitely a pain to stop
when everywhere else
the people's representatives
have negotiated speed.

That's how it feels and looks to an American.  I'm interested if it appears the same to Europeans.  Do Europeans without membership in the EU get treated as second-class citizens? Do they feel like second-class citizens? Do those of you who are Europeans cherish this right to cross borders as much as I think you do? What other reforms do you cherish?
 
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