About mE & yoU

I live in Sweden. Out of free will, as I have a husband who gave me the choice between Stockholm and Brussels. And since I always wanted to submerge myself into a new territory after having served the EU as a civil servant, I decided to opt for the cold North. At least that’s what I thought, because it was only this year, after 2 kids and several jobs in the private sector, that I got to experience a proper winter again.

Just like I was not able to reconnect in all these last 8 years in Sweden with my nostalgia of everlasting snow masses, I was not being very successful at “connecting” with my colleagues on EU matters which I am so passionate about because it affects our daily lives. One of my bosses once said he had no time for philosophical talks, business is business and politics has no place here. Excusez-moi?! That was among the nicest things I got to hear, IF I even were to get any feedback at all. Not to mention the times where I was asked “What is the European Commission”? Well, I guess those times are over. After 1 year of Corona, we all have at least a notion of what it is.

I can see, now that I have the view from the “outside”, that it’s not always easy to understand what Brussels is doing for us ALL, and that there exists a certain political disenchantment in our society. Especially for those who have over the last decades been so lucky not to know any misery and take privileges mistakenly for granted.

But we shall not take things like the snow in Sweden or mask-free times for granted.

What we shall take for granted is the link that exists between the destruction of nature and pandemics. Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough, Ursula von der Leyen – just to name a few Europeans – are trying to tell us a clear message: If we don’t urgently act to protect our nature, we may already be at the beginning of an era of pandemics. To give one concrete example: Ebola. A few years ago, in a remote village in Guinea, a young boy was playing next to a tree infested by bats. Bats, that had been pushed towards the village because a majority of the forests where those animals normally live had been destroyed. Luckily this disease was contained.

On the other hand, Covid-19 as we know has spread all over the world, and may be only the “light” version of what we might face if we don’t manage to extinguish the fire that is already burning on the roof of our house. This one, as it appears, is mainly affecting the older generation. Imagine the repercussions of a new and more virulent virus that affects the young or those professionally active who ensure our economy?

To break it down: The EU is us, it’s mE & yoU. It is the decision of sovereign countries and their representatives regrouped on one continent to unite their forces and to fight against the enemies of our time.

Let’s give them our support. The time is ripe for the EU to position itself as a strong global player.

From my humble position, I will try to contribute in the best way possible from a hopefully white and snowy Stockholm.

All the best to us!

Yours,

Julita