Charged with a crime?
Um...not in my country.
I'm in Ireland - and we are part of the EU. But our economy is one of the strongest in Europe. Mainly due to free market initiatives and a pro-inward investment policies.
Ireland is doing very well at the moment. The Celtic Tiger economy that we enjoyed through the late nineties, slowed slightly at the start of the new millenium..but even with further EU expansion, Ireland is holding her own.
Imagine, a little tiny island out-pacing France and Germany? Well, it has happened. And I'm praying those bastards (pardon, my French) don't try to regulate us back into recession!
"But our economy is one of the strongest in Europe. Mainly due to free market initiatives and a pro-inward investment policies. "
And those are probably initiatives from within the Irish Republic. Which is good! The bureaucrats in Brussels though I don't trust, my perception from this side of the pond is that they are a bit "out of touch".
As far as the objecting to the EU in its present bloated bureaucrat form being a crime, that I believe is in closer proximity to Belgium, France, what have you. My view that the EU will have major problems is not on "nationalist" grounds (since I'm an outsider in the U.S.A.), but more economic grounds - hence my screen name.
Barring over-regualation, Ireland and the Eastern European member nations should do quite well. Its up to Germany, France, Belgium, and the rest of "Old Europe" whether or not they get left behind. Germany during the last years of Helmut Kohl's administration almost had the opportunity to kick start their economy if the upper legislative house passed a major tax cut and spending reduction almost on the scale that Reagan pursued.