It has been a while since the last time I tried to share the inside of the brains of an aspiring MEP with you. Sadly, I am also afraid this will be the last one in this series.
It seems that the stream of politicians willing to answer my questions is rapidly dying down. After my second appeal Derk Jan Eppink, or DJ, was quick to respond from his Blackberry (how Obama-esque) that he would answer me ASAP; my previous request had probably been lost in the ‘tsunami’. However, none of the other contacted politicians responded, and although I must say the campaigns do not seem to have descended to street-level yet, I expect from now on those who have not been able to answer up till now, will probably not find the time to do so anymore. Anyhow, on April 6 I will leave for the Y Vote event in Budapest so that could also be a nice opportunity to shift the focus of my blog back to the normal people again.
Like I said, today it’s Eppinks turn. In a previous post I have already paid some attention to him since, although he is a Dutch citizen, during the elections he will be representing the Belgian party Lijst DeDecker. Hereby his answers.
1. Name: Derk Jan Eppink
2. Age: 50
3. Occupation: political commentator
4. What did you vote in the referendum on a European Constitution?
Yes.
5. Shortly name 5 advantages of the EU.
The EU creates an internal market which is the foundation of our prosperity, makes free travelling easy, gives Europe a voice, makes studying abroad easier, and gives Europe a stronger position in foreign trade.
6. Shortly name 5 disadvantages of the EU.
The EU is taking on too much tasks, is making overly patronizing legislation, has enlarged too quickly, is too bureaucratic and not sufficiently democratic.
7. What are you going to do on the 4th of June?
I will be campaiging because in Belgium the elections are on the 7th of June.
8. What do you expect will be the ‘hot issues’ during the EP elections?
The economy, the economy and the economy.
9. What do you personally think the ‘hot issues’ should be?
The Economical origins of Europe.
10. On a scale from 1 to 10, how important is the European Union for you?
8
NB. Pease note that the following article is the result of a translating (original language: Dutch) and editing (as little as possible) process by me, the author, of the original e-mails sent.
(6 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)
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