Update: Jerry Wilson

    Jerry Wilson’s Essex home might be the only private residence in the U.S. flying the flag of the European Union (EU). That’s because Jerry has become immersed in learning all he can about the EU, made up of 27 European states.

    The EU, Wilson explains, includes economic, political, and legal components. It encompasses not only a free trade zone, but also its own currency, the Euro, circulated in 15 of its member states. There is a European Parliament, an executive branch called the European Commission, and a European Court of Justice. The EU is the expanded successor to the European Economic Community, which was often known in the U.S. as the Common Market.

    When he was the Valley Courier Person of the Week several years ago, Wilson was involved in writing his own poetry and in organizing poetry readings. On a trip last summer to Brussels, Belgium, he realized the city was the capital of the EU.

    “I went to a bookstore and got a book called The Handbook of the European Union and I read it cover to cover,” he recalled. 

    When he returned from vacation, he wrote several editorial-page essays on the EU.

    “I think Americans don’t know very much about the European Union and it is a very important subject,” he says.

    He points out the EU is America’s largest trading partner, “even larger than Canada,” he noted. For this reason, he feels the U.S. should maintain closer relations with the EU.

    As Wilson grew more expert on the EU, he had an idea.  

    “I don’t really know how it came to me, but I wanted to go firsthand and talk to some of the people involved,” he said.

    To that end, Wilson wrote what he describes as a “killer letter,” effectively setting out his credentials as a lawyer, former commentator for WCBS television in New York, and a former New York state senator.

    The results were impressive: Wilson got appointments with 20 representatives of countries accredited to the EU, most often with the ambassadors themselves. 

    “The key was that I was a New York state senator. These people are politicians and I was a member of the club,” he said.

    In his meetings, Wilson discussed the present state of the EU and challenges facing the organization. He said that the European parliament, made up of 785 members from the 27 countries, is not as effective as it could be because the parliament itself cannot introduce legislation–only EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, can.

    Wilson also says some EU economic regulations are onerous. 

    “They regulate everything, even the size of bananas,” he said.

    He notes that many EU members, among them France and Germany have not been a part of the U.S. Iraq coalition. In fact, he pointed out, they have been very critical of this nation’s policies. 

    “The Europeans are appalled by what is happening at Guantanamo,” he said, referring to the interrogations of prisoners held at American base in Cuba.

    The Europeans, Wilson said, had questions for him about American politics. 

    “They wanted to know about Obama, and they were fascinated by the Clinton-Obama primary,” he said.

    Now that Wilson has returned, he plans additional newspaper pieces on the EU and even has an outline for a book.

    “In retirement, I’m searching for relevance and this work makes me useful, it stimulates my interest and I think it is very worthwhile,” he said.

Pictured: Before the flag of the European Union, Essex resident Jerome Wilson, left, shakes hands with the president of the 785-member European Parliament, Hans-Gert Poettering.

Photo courtesy of Jerry Wilson