To be fair, most of Prodi's proposals have been floated before, though never on such grand scale or from such a high level. Prodi also included suggestions to improve democracy and responsiveness to the public within the Commission. But those suggestions will be drowned out by the likely uproar from many elements that oppose integration, claiming a faceless bureaucracy in Brussels seeks to control the lives of citizens.
Europeans have been expressing these concerns in ever-greater numbers, as seen by the swing to the right in recent elections. Prodi's proposals suggest that Brussels hasn't heard the public's message or has failed to take it seriously, which could turn out to be a dangerous miscalculation.
Additional analysis from STRATFOR.com can be found in our LINKS section or at:
http://www.stratfor.com .
This article is reprinted with permission from the publisher.
Europeans have been expressing these concerns in ever-greater numbers, as seen by the swing to the right in recent elections. Prodi's proposals suggest that Brussels hasn't heard the public's message or has failed to take it seriously, which could turn out to be a dangerous miscalculation.
Additional analysis from STRATFOR.com can be found in our LINKS section or at:
http://www.stratfor.com .
This article is reprinted with permission from the publisher.