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Why is Portugal in the EU?

The responses to a letter that you published in the June 9 issue make me wonder what the EU is all about. The union was formed before I moved here, but I thought that the object was to form a stronger economic and political entity while still respecting the culture and historical interests of the individual member states. That is why the language spoken by only 10 m people in the most remote corner of Europe was given official status, without regard to whether it was "the language of the future". When I read all these pragmatic letters pointing out that we have to be realistic, Portuguese doesn't count, the country is doomed, everything here is wrong, etc., I find it hard to believe that the Portuguese who read your paper do not start to think that joining the union was a mistake. And when people like Mr. Rust huff that they have just as much right to be here as anyone of Portuguese ancestry, since that is EU policy, I have to feel very sorry for those who have to put up with this new version of 19th century imperialism.

Portugal has more to respect than sunshine and cheap booze. It has a lot to complain about too, but it is one thing to gripe about the problems and another to express the derogatory views that so often appear in your paper. My many Portuguese friends have noted the way that so many foreign residents isolate themselves in arrogantly expat communities and not only have difficulty learning Portuguese (as I do), but adamantly refuse even to try. None of the recent letters convince me that this is a defensible attitude. Surely when you move to a foreign country, it is not asking too much to request that you bring along a touch of common civility.

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