The state-debt crisis in the E.U. has had the
unfortunate effect of exacerbating the prejudice in the northern states against
the poorer southern states. The people in the latter states are purportedly
lazier or more corrupt (e.g., Greece’s patronage system). Historically, it has
even been thought that the warmer climate makes people less industriousness.
Faced with this long history of prejudice, it is difficult to assume that
shifting more governmental sovereignty from the states to the Union will
somehow make Europe one big happy family. In other words, federalizing more
competencies is unlikely to make every state economically on par with Germany.
