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rfmcdonaldStrange Maps' latest wonder is a map of a united Europe's component parts drawn by Dutch brewer magnate Freddy Heineken. If nothing else, his plan was ambitious.
In all, 24 countries--the EU-27 minus the three Baltic States--would be divided into 75 units, for instance with Spain being divided into the six units of Galicia-Asturias, Castilia Madrid, Navarre-Aragon Bilbao, Catalonia, Valencia, and Andalusia. Needless to say, this plan wouldn't work, not only because of the complete disinterest of European Union member-states to be dismembered in the name of a deeper union, but because the regions don't even make sense. Grouping the Basque Country together with Aragon, uniting Wallonia with Lille, building a "Noricum" out of southern Austria and Slovenia? Please.
Freddy Heineken (1923-2002), the Dutch tycoon who made his beer into a global brand, also was a dedicated Europhile. Towards the end of his life, he proposed reshuffling Europe’s national borders to strengthen the supranational project whose stated goal is an “ever closer union”.
Heineken collaborated with two historians to produce a booklet entitled “The United States of Europe, A Eurotopia?” The idea was timely, for two reasons. Eastern Europe was experiencing a period of turmoil, following the collapse of communism. The resulting wave of nationalism led to the re-emergence of several nation-states (i.e. the Baltics) and the break-up of several others (Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia). And in 1992, the Maastricht Treaty would transform an initially mainly economic “European Community” into a more political “European Union”.
Heineken’s proposal would lead to the creation of dozens of new European states, which would have a comparably small population size (mostly between 5 and 10 million), some basis in history, and for the most part would be ethnically homogenous.
The theory behind Heineken’s idea is that a larger number of smaller member-states would be easier to govern within a single European framework than a combination of larger states competing for dominance.
In all, 24 countries--the EU-27 minus the three Baltic States--would be divided into 75 units, for instance with Spain being divided into the six units of Galicia-Asturias, Castilia Madrid, Navarre-Aragon Bilbao, Catalonia, Valencia, and Andalusia. Needless to say, this plan wouldn't work, not only because of the complete disinterest of European Union member-states to be dismembered in the name of a deeper union, but because the regions don't even make sense. Grouping the Basque Country together with Aragon, uniting Wallonia with Lille, building a "Noricum" out of southern Austria and Slovenia? Please.
