We are all Norwegians

Some pretty powerful words were chosen by the 6 heads of European states gathered in Rome on 25 March 1957 to describe their feel for a (joint) future, such as "determination", "decision", "desire" , "resolve", "direction" to write up an appeal for an ever closer union and balanced trade among the European peoples, eliminating barriers which divide them and improving living and working conditions and to ensure harmonious development by reducing the existing differences between the various regions and by mitigating the backwardness of the less favoured.

They signed for it and as the democratically and legally empowered signatories that would bind them on complying with the 248 articles (and subsequent revisions in Maastricht, Nice and Lisbon).

Only 2 years later the EEC and Greece concluded an association agreement and a further 3 years ahead, the next wave of applicants lodged their official intent to co-sign, which took 10 years, with the exception of Norway who decided not to ... lucky bastards.  There have been times before 2008 where a majority of the Norwegian population would have favoured joing the EU, but that certainly has inverted and apparently any coalition agreement since dictates that new EU membership negotiation requires immediate new elections first.   Interesting.  Norway has been opting in and out of transnational law pieces since and they seem to be doing just fine.

Much of what Greece has been tabling these day has to do with those 1957 fundamentals and that then does include some harsh references to what had caused nations to come together at the time as the only way forward to avoid a return of warfare and xenophobia.  The very EEC accession of Greece was arguably forced or perhaps rushed in order to avoid a clawback to the military regime or sidetrack to communism, while Turkey invaded Cyprus.  

Already at the time transformation and aid programmes were put in place to literally overcome the geo-social and economic distance between Greece and the other 9 member states.  What has (not) happened since we now all know.  So now what?

Now, Greece is regarded as dispensable and in absence of boardgame rules, the majority of players is getting set to send Greece back to start or scratch and recommence accession negotiations if it so desires, whether for full membership or piece-by-piece item. 

In time, Greece will probably gain a stronger sense of belonging amongst surrounding neighbours who the EU also does not really want to (fully) onboard either and in particular Turkey.  That does not withstand that the founding and joined member states are in violation of a treaty and also does not resolve the continuing gap between politicians and growing numbers of populations in what continues legally together.

I do hope that the Greek effort to have national and transnational institutions run by us all once more what did effectively go wrong, will continue, and would welcome individual politicians to be given the appropriate credit as well as debit for their policy making.