“Please explain Europe to me?”

[By Lo Breemer] – Politicians are creatures who act in strange ways. And this is encouraged by journalists. Being a candidate for the European Parliament for the PvdA for the third time, I run into this problem on an almost daily basis.

Over the past 10 years I have been involved with Europe extensively, for my profession is “Europe expert” – for 8 years, I represented Amsterdam in Brussels, subsequently I had the opportunity to experience Europe for one year from within the European Commission; and for the past six months I am back at the Amsterdam City Hall.

To hundreds of administrators, colleagues and – last but not least – countless citizens I have tried to explain what Europe is about – why it matters to Amsterdam – or should matter. Also, I sometimes discuss the input Amsterdam can provide to Europe, not ruling out success provided that this is being done well and at times not in the Amsterdam fashion.

This is not an easy thing. For many Amsterdammers, including many Amsterdam civil servants, think we are the centre of the world. If my co-workers think about Europe at all, they often think primarily of a large pot of money, self-evidently waiting for Amsterdam. So I frequently receive requests to arrange additional funding from Brussels for a brilliant Amsterdam project.

I try to explain to these co-workers that Europe is about regulations (of problems that transcend borders), about collaboration and only in the last resort about money. And that money is also much more limited than the money spent at the national level (a rule of thumb: in the Netherlands, more than half our GNP passes through the government; in Europe, little more than 1% of the European Gross Product passes through the European Commission).

With the co-workers who have not had it with Europe by then, I subsequently discuss the fact that the EU is also of importance to Amsterdam in creating the conditions for the city to function optimally. The EU provided a long period of peace in Europe; open borders; measures to deal with pollution of the environment; measures to deal with international criminality; it supports the creation of jobs, measures to promote integration, the protection of basic social conditions, the defence of human rights; etcetera.

Through the structural funds, we have been able to realise many projects in Amsterdam, and collaboration with other large cities generates good ideas. And on the other hand, if it regards issues such as the multicultural society or the administrative organisation of a large city, we have something to offer, also in an EU context. But this requires that we think from a broader point of view than the purely Amsterdam one we often started out with.

When I act as a PvdA candidate, I naturally have not forgotten what I just mentioned. However, I can hardly use that knowledge in presenting myself. For during a debate, a journalist not only asks me a question, but also demands that I tell the public within half a minute in sound bites or When Turkey will join the Union? or What we are going to do about the fact that Amsterdam or the Netherlands is paying much more to Europe than it is receiving? or When this ridiculous bureaucracy waste will finally stop – take for example the travelling circus between Brussels and Strasbourg?!

I get comparable questions in writing, but here again the condition is: your response should not exceed 70 words. In this piece I already used 635. And my conclusion remains: politicians and journalists are strange creatures. Nevertheless, do vote on 4 June. And if you have followed me as far as this, you will without doubt accept my voting advice: vote number 9 of the PvdA list.

Lo Breemer (PvdA) is a candidate for the European Parliament