N. Peter Kramer’s Weekly Column
‘Thanks to the contributions of France and Italy, the EU remains at the top of the (Olympic) medal table (in Paris)’, cheered the European Commission on Wednesday on its website https://teameurope2024.eu , Politico let us know. The Commission seemed to describe all athletes from EU member countries as part of ‘Team Europe’. A term that was first used when President von der Leyen together with Prime Ministers Giorgia Meloni from Italy and Mark Rutte from the Netherlands signed a migration curbing deal with autocratic Tunisia.
But, the EU is not winning any medals, individual countries do even when they are an EU member state. The official medal table showed that day China no. 1, France 2, then Japan, Australia and Britain as 3, 4 and 5. An expert told that if there actually was an Olympic EU team, it would likely have to send far fewer athletes than the sum of the 27 countries combined.
Another case of self-congratulation by the European Commission was claiming the opening ceremony in Paris as an EU win, saying it was the first time the EU featured ‘very prominently’ in such an event. The proof, as Politico published, was a barge bearing an EU flag with some dancers bopping to Eurodance, another thing the EU is apparently claiming.
Let’s mention the tropical temperatures in Paris as an excuse.
*The column goes on a summer break. We wish all our readers a safe and joyfull summer.
By: N. Peter Kramer
