Republican form of government for the EU
European Union and Republicanism
In this paper, I am going to look at the possible organization of the European Union through the prism of republicanism. Continuing the idea of my previous writing, I would like to make the public goods be the object of the present paper. However, the reason to place public goods in the center of this discussion seems obscure for me. Possibly, my perception is stipulates by the concept of the republic, especially what is main within this concept, that is namely democracy. Nevertheless, if the most critique question of the seminar is to reflect on the lack of democracy in the European Union and suggest the possible solutions of the problem, then the republican perception of democracy must take place in this discussion. First of all, I cannot omit my disappointment about the republican way of understanding democracy.
Undoubtedly, that for the biggest part of the population Republic means nowadays nothing but freedom and equality of all citizens. Of cause the core understanding of Republic has not changed since the
Roman time. However, the understanding of freedom and equality of the past differentiates from the modern past. For example, in the Rome time citizens were giver a status of free people, though without right to vote. In the modern society, the right to participate in voting is one of the main characteristics of freedom. At least because of these changes it would be wrong to speak about modern society looking at in a book with the obsolete description of Republic. The Republic of the past times is not the same as the Republic of the present. The first one cannot be the synonym of democracy, though the latter one can. In her article “Competing for Liberty: The Republican Critique of Democracy” Nadia Urbinaty points out the weak points of democracy, among them, one draws my attention the most: “Democracy is unable to achieve good and competent decisions because it gives preference to numbers and quantities
In this paper, I am going to look at the possible organization of the European Union through the prism of republicanism. Continuing the idea of my previous writing, I would like to make the public goods be the object of the present paper. However, the reason to place public goods in the center of this discussion seems obscure for me. Possibly, my perception is stipulates by the concept of the republic, especially what is main within this concept, that is namely democracy. Nevertheless, if the most critique question of the seminar is to reflect on the lack of democracy in the European Union and suggest the possible solutions of the problem, then the republican perception of democracy must take place in this discussion. First of all, I cannot omit my disappointment about the republican way of understanding democracy.
Undoubtedly, that for the biggest part of the population Republic means nowadays nothing but freedom and equality of all citizens. Of cause the core understanding of Republic has not changed since the
Roman time. However, the understanding of freedom and equality of the past differentiates from the modern past. For example, in the Rome time citizens were giver a status of free people, though without right to vote. In the modern society, the right to participate in voting is one of the main characteristics of freedom. At least because of these changes it would be wrong to speak about modern society looking at in a book with the obsolete description of Republic. The Republic of the past times is not the same as the Republic of the present. The first one cannot be the synonym of democracy, though the latter one can. In her article “Competing for Liberty: The Republican Critique of Democracy” Nadia Urbinaty points out the weak points of democracy, among them, one draws my attention the most: “Democracy is unable to achieve good and competent decisions because it gives preference to numbers and quantities