Now that the EU beast has 25 heads, it's wanting attention. In fact, as far as the EU beast is concerned, it deserves a place in the world beside the biggest beast on the block.

But according this article, the biggest beast on the block doesn't yet understand or appreciate the grandeur of the new EU beast. Franck Biancheri writes:

They widely ignore that the EU is now embarking in a major historical project to generate and manage a continental-wide democracy, gathering almost 500 million citizens from about 30 different nationalities, languages and cultures: a project which puts the EU at the forefront of the new frontier for democracy in terms of size, diversity and complexity Read about it here.

As you know, Biancheri is talking about the United States not understanding what the EU has become after its recent enlargement to 25 nations. And I couldn't agree more. The American people are in for a shock when they awake to discover they aren't number one in the world anymore.

But I don't agree with Biancheri as to what the EU has become. He is right saying the EU is a project to generate and manage a continental-wide democracy. However, the EU itself is not a democracy. And not only is it not a democracy, what little democracy it has is in danger of being weakened.

The EU is built around three major institutions -- the Commission, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. Officials for the Commission and the Council are appointed by the EU heads. Only the European Parliament has democratically elected officials. And according to this report, the EU's new Constitution is set to further undermine the powers of the EU's only truly democratic institution. The report quotes an Irish diplomat who has been working on the EU's new Constitution saying:

There is no question of there being a raid of the European Parliament's powers ... we are looking for a balanced solution Read about it here.

Can you picture it? Here we have the EU beast, 25 heads and all, getting all dressed up to go out and present itself to the democratic world. Problem is, its not what it thinks it is.

Its not democratic.