Déjà-vu à la EU?

(european union) The Golden Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of the European Union is being celebrated this week. It was on the 25th of March 1957 that the treaty of Rome was signed at the Palazzo dei Conservatori. It has been a period where we experienced the most peaceful 60 years in our continent, after the two last wars of the 20th century that had a great impact also to the rest of the world. But now we stand before one of the most important issues concerning this political and economic union, a common foreign affairs policy.

After the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall, a new era for the European continent started with an upcoming expansion to the east. By now, three former Soviet republics are part of the EU and a number of former communist east and central European countries are also in the game.

One would probably say that everything turns out rosy for the continent and the EU, so where is the problem?

During the last decade we have experienced that this expansion first from 12 to 15 , then to 25 and now to 27 countries has created a new mega-group not able to find common ground on many of the issues that have been raised. Concerning foreign affairs, one could mention as an example the war in Iraq or the antiballistic missile shield that the US and a number of EU countries, such as the Czech Republic and Poland, want to be installed in their territory and the list goes on. Of course every country has national interests and they want to defend them in any possible way. This is where it all begins, when there is a conflict between the national interests and the interest of the EU as a whole. But how could there be an interest for the EU as a whole, while at the same time posing a problem for the national interests of one of the participating in the union countries?

If we see the Baltic area, it is one of the most important borders between the EU and the “big bear” neighbour, namely Russia. After the accession of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, a cool peace front has been created in the region. Probably the feeling that the EU has come so close to the Russian borders as well as due to the history of the area, causes problems in many different levels. Problems that arise in the relations between the Baltic countries and their neighbour should logically be solved in a EU – Russia level. But the fact that the big countries of the union, such as France or Germany, have such close – mainly economic – relations to Russia, they may not be at ease to engage themselves in such a dialog. At the same time, the oil and gas pipeline project that will link Russia directly with Germany bypassing the Baltic countries and Poland has caused other players in the region – such as Sweden – to reassess their position and their close economic partners in neighbouring countries.

Another sticky subject is the stand of each European country in the EU after a change of persons in a government of a member country. With great interest, one may follow the French presidential election’s campaign and each of the three main contenders. Nicolas Sarkozy has as his main goal a more active and politically engaged France in the EU as well as in a proposed Mediterranean union for the countries of the region, including north Africa and the Middle East, and last but not least Turkey.

The celebrations of the golden jubilee of the EU has also given us the latest example in the problem of communication that may arise between some countries concerning, since the text of the Berlin declaration has caused a big headache for the German presidency, who had to please 27 countries. At the end there was no mention to the proposed EU constitution or any other subject that would cause unease to any of the members.

Are we ever going to find a common tune?