EU Integration: Whose Integration?
June 11th, 2006 by an69aIt
is interesting to see how on its more than one decade year old, the
European Union still finds it hard, or I might say ‘struggling’, with
the concept of “widening vs. deepening”. This is the real dilemma that
the EU still has to face.
is interesting to see how on its more than one decade year old, the
European Union still finds it hard, or I might say ‘struggling’, with
the concept of “widening vs. deepening”. This is the real dilemma that
the EU still has to face.
Meanwhile
it wants to be somewhat “United States of Europe” by expanding its
membership from 6 to 10 to 15 and now 25, the harder to create one
common position, especially on the highly political issues. Iraqi’s
war, referrendum of Constitution, and the latest Iranian Nuclear issues
prove it all.
it wants to be somewhat “United States of Europe” by expanding its
membership from 6 to 10 to 15 and now 25, the harder to create one
common position, especially on the highly political issues. Iraqi’s
war, referrendum of Constitution, and the latest Iranian Nuclear issues
prove it all.
The
theory said that we cannot separate Foreign Policy from Security
Policy. Basically foreign policy is created to secure national
interests, and the security policy is created to defend national
interests from “foreign attack”. That’s the main idea behind the
creation of CFSP. The appointment of Dr. Solana as the EU’s ‘Foreign
Minister’ showed us how the EU wants to play its role in the global
fora as the counter-balance to US hegemony by creating the foreign and
security policy decision-making institution. But EU forgot that, behind
its vast structure, lies 25 member countries, 25 different national
interests, 400 millions different people with their own comfort zones.
For example, France is best known as the loyal supporter of the
European integration, but not the Frenchmen. The referrendum proved it.
theory said that we cannot separate Foreign Policy from Security
Policy. Basically foreign policy is created to secure national
interests, and the security policy is created to defend national
interests from “foreign attack”. That’s the main idea behind the
creation of CFSP. The appointment of Dr. Solana as the EU’s ‘Foreign
Minister’ showed us how the EU wants to play its role in the global
fora as the counter-balance to US hegemony by creating the foreign and
security policy decision-making institution. But EU forgot that, behind
its vast structure, lies 25 member countries, 25 different national
interests, 400 millions different people with their own comfort zones.
For example, France is best known as the loyal supporter of the
European integration, but not the Frenchmen. The referrendum proved it.
