This was written in December 2017, so some facts may be a little outdated – a lot has happened since then!
I do not believe that the EU is the United States of Europe. The primary factors binding the EU together are a single currency, and the ability to move, migrate, and work freely between any of the EU countries. In those ways, it is similar to the U.S., but each country maintains much more autonomy than individual states do in the U.S. The EU is composed of many languages and distinct cultures (Henning, 2010). While there are many cultures and languages spoken within the US, English is by far the predominant one. Each country in the EU has its own national leader and its own separate military, while the US has one political leader (the president) and one military. Comparing the US Constitution to the EU Constitution, there are several differences, but there is one in particular which significantly alters the purpose and direction (Niskanen, 2003). In the US Bill of Rights, rights are written to protect citizens against the power of the state. In the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, however, includes a list of services which citizens have a right to be provided to them by the state, such as healthcare and education. This represents an important cultural distinction between the US and Germany (and the rest of the EU) – in the US, we tend to distrust government and prefer to have services privatized and leaving as much freedom and independence as possible to citizens, at times to our own detriment. Germans put more trust in their government and see it as a system which can protect and benefit all the citizens for their basic rights and needs. Germany itself has taken a leadership role within the EU, and around the world, by actively engaging in foreign policy through peaceful means wherever possible (Potts, 2016).
Germany has increasingly become a country of immigrants (US-German Next Generation Fellows, 2015), something that the United States has been continuously since the arrival of the English colonists. Becoming a member of the European Union has impacted migration throughout all of the EU states. The EU includes countries which are wealthy and well-industrialized, like Germany and France, and also those countries which are less wealthy and less developed, such as Bulgaria and Poland (EU Referendum 2016). By allowing individuals within the EU to freely migrate and work, this has allowed for many people to migrate easily to Germany and have more economic opportunities. However, they also bring various cultures with them, and the EU is becoming increasingly more “jumbled” culturally, rather than a lot of the definition laying on national borders. However, in talking with my father, a former international lawyer specializing in German law, he believes that the formation of the EU allows the countries within it to come together and see themselves as a more unified people, which ultimately creates more cohesion, peace, and a stronger allegiance to each other and the EU at large.
Germany has instigated an “open doors policy” to take in refugees, with little support from other EU countries (Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell, 2015). The large flux of immigrants has led to the refugee crisis, where resources are unable to keep up with the demand from so many people. The drain on Germany’s resources, competition for jobs, and cultural differences have dramatically increased discrimination in Germany, to the point that some are now considering refugees to be the new Jews in relation to Germany’s history (Wagener, 2016). Far-right groups, like the KKK (Kuebler, 2016) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) Party, are increasing in discriminatory and violent acts against refugees and immigrants. The AfD has worked its way into the government, where it is able to influence German policy with its Islamophobic and “ethnic purity” ideals (Wagener, 2016) – which sounds horrifyingly similar to the ideals of the Nazi party.
References
EU Referendum. (June 1, 2016). Reality Check: How much EU money goes to poorer countries?. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-eu-referendum-36322484
Henning, G. (March 4, 2010). Differences between the United States of America and the European Union?. Thinking Federalist. Retrieved from https://www.thenewfederalist.eu/Differences-between-the-United-States-of-America-and-the-European
Kuebler, M. (10.25.16). EU needs policies to ‘tackle racism at the European level”. DW. Retrieved from http://www.dw.com/en/eu-needs-policies-to-tackle-racism-at-the-european-level/a-36153881?maca=en-EMail-sharing
Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell [username]. (September 17, 2015). The European Refugee Crisis and Syria Explained . YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvOnXh3NN9w
Niskanen, W.A. (August 4, 2003). Comparing the U.S. and EU Constitutions. The Taipei Times. Retrieved from https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/comparing-us-eu-constitutions
Potts, C. (10.25.16). Germany’s new global responsibility. DW. Retrieved from http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-new-global-responsibility/a-36152514?maca=en-EMail-sharing
US-German Next Generation Fellows (2015). Through a new prism: A next generation strategy for the US-German relationship. Washington, DC: Atlantic Council. Retrieved from http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/reports/through-a-new-prism-a-next-generation-strategy-for-the-us-german-relationship
Wagener, V. (October 9, 2016). ‘In the past it was Jews, and today it is refugees’. DW. Retrieved from http://p.dw.com/p/1JznR