Celebrating Europe.(Letter to the editor)

Readers of our March 26 report on the EU at 50 were delighted. "Your analysis was first-rate," praised one. Another called it "a complex and sophisticated portrait." A third found it "ambitious and informative."

Europe's 50th Anniversary I thoroughly enjoyed your articles on "Europe at 50" in the March 26 issue. It is unfortunately rare that NEWSWEEK publishes something optimistic about the Old Continent. Too many Americans find it unthinkable, but the European way of doing things actually does work. I guess you just have to live in a European nation to really understand how the system functions.

Kendra Mortureux

Dijon, France

Your special report on Europe was ambitious and informative. But one should keep in mind that, unlike the United States, Europe is a continent, not a nation. And most people living in this part of the world seem to want it that way. We are many very different nations. The European Union is not a melting pot like the States and is generally considered to be a paranational vehicle for international cooperation. In fact, modern nations like Iceland and Norway have wisely decided to stay outside the EU because of some uncertainty regarding its future direction, and they seem to prefer international cooperation within NATO and the United Nations to the EU.

Sverre Haukeland

Vasteras, Sweden