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Brussels consults … yes it does! – Many will be surprised by the range and quality of EU consultations – and their relevance.
Hands up everyone.
Who among you has EVER responded to a European Union consultation?
As the Referendum debate rages, a familiar, oft-repeated allegation is that European institutions remain remote and opaque. Brussels has long been characterised – at least by large chunks of the UK media – as an overbearing bureaucratic machine, unresponsive to any reasonable argument. In contrast, supporters of the EU insist that it is much more consultative than is generally acknowledged. What is the truth?
It is an interesting exercise just to look at the subjects upon which the EU is out to consultation right now. Even somewhat paraphrased, it is quite a list, and we would surmise that very few, if any, have received a smidgeon of coverage in the British media – and that includes the less-eurosceptic newspapers as well as our ‘impartial’ broadcasters. By any standard it includes a large number of issues that rank among the most visible and challenging problems facing the world.
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