Letting go of the reigns

What can the EU do to shape our economic and social future in a globalised world?
Ultimately what we require is a system of governance, both local and international, that supports a market economy which complements, rather than curtails, our social goals. The EU does not need to create all of the market rules which we live by (i.e. those rules we use in order to maintain at least the veneer of civilisation). But the EU can be a useful umpire in the games we play as interdependent market economies.
By being above parish pump politics and corporate lobbying the EU should, ideally, be able to act as an independent observer, given the right to monitor and perhaps intervene if market transactions are having negative effects on third parties. This is in contrast to its apparent current role of legislator extraordinaire and guideline drafting bureaucrat, a role which ultimately diminishes local decision making rights and responsibilities. In my view this hierarchical approach is outmoded and a more decentralised, unbiased and imaginative approach needs to be adopted. Idealism is not a dirty word; vision is not the preserve of presidents, CEOs and messiahs. We can as societies with the full appreciation of our rights and responsibilities begin to support a model of world economic growth that is not predicated on unnecessary consumption and resource depletion. There is not one economics model to fit all, as there is not one way of life to fit all. The EU can shape our economic and social future by letting go of the reigns and allowing the full force of decentralised decision making to take effect. This is not a call to free markets, but a call to independence and diversity in how we approach our social goals. Models may emerge that do not accept inequality and poverty as necessary side effects of world economic growth. By not being afraid to adjust and continuously adapt to the consequences of our choices we can all shape our economic and social futures.