Dominique Moisi must know as well as anyone that the development of the European Union since its inception more than 50 years ago has at every stage involved an escalating suppression of democratic accountability.

It should be no surprise that the present structure is both unworkable and undemocratic and to indulge now in breast-beating over the lack of democratic support is disingenuous and deeply dishonest.
Nor is it a surprise that the political parallels which spring to mind for the European Union’s present structure are medieval, since the Commission’s proposed solution to the problem of unworkability is to move even further towards a pre-democratic, authoritarian decision process.

The valid solution is equally clear: the acceptance and implementation at all levels of the principle of subsidiarity. Unfortunately for the citizens of Europe, since such a policy would be in direct opposition to the personal interests of the Brussels’staff, it will not be considered.

Giles Conway-Gordon