The euro's launch has been greeted with a well-orchestrated campaign of official
enthusiasm, designed to silence all doubts on the question. The Euro has finally been
introduced as a common currency in 12 of the EU states. This is an important development.
A common currency is the first condition towards European integration. It ought to boost
internal trade and thus act as a powerful stimulus to the development of the productive
forces. But is this going to happen?
The debate over whether Britain should join the Euro is heating up. On both
sides of the debate we find a capitalist logic being applied. One side stands
for so-called British "sovereignty", the other praises the merits of
the wider market. Neither side is defending the real interests of the workers.
As Mick Brooks points out, "The answer is surely for us to control the
movement of capital by taking over the means of production, not relying on the
goodwill of our enemy, the capitalist class."
This long document by Alan Woods provides a
comprehensive answer to many key questions for
the European labour movement. What is Maastricht? Why
are they introducing all these cuts?
Would it be better without Maastricht? Will it succeed? And
most important of all, how do
we fight it and what is our alternative.
Within a few days tens of thousands of workers and young people will come from
whole over Europe to Brussels to protest against the EU, capitalist
globalisation in Europe and the rest of the world and the new war in
Afghanistan. These demonstrations are the next stage in the cycle of
mobilisations started in Seattle and which culminated in the 300.000 strong
demonstration in Genoa. Erik Demeester from the Editorial Board of Vonk/Unité, the Belgian Marxist paper for labour and youth, looks briefly at what's at stake in these
protests.