EU mired in mid-life crisis

FE Team | Published: June 21, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, June 20: The European Union (EU) which turns 50 tomorrow is mired in a mid-life crisis. Its biggest problem is economic, wrote a British analyst. Paralysed by the rejection of its constitution by France and the Netherlands, the EU goes into a summit meeting tomorrow in Brussels to settle the more tricky problem of adopting a constitution, expansion of the block -- Turkey is waiting in the wings to be embraced by the Union -- and forming a foreign policy mainly directed to contain the growing power of Russia.
Poland is seen as a big stumbling block to the progress of the EU. Warsaw demands greater say in the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, now heading the EU, in a bid to defuse the tension held unsuccessful pre-summit level meeting with leaders of Poland and Czechoslovakia. To get over the problem Germany will propose that instead of calling rules the constitution itself be called a treaty. The idea of an EU flag and anthem may be dropped for the time being. The charter of human and social rights will be ditched.
EU will, however, go ahead with the idea of having a foreign minister who will be responsible for consolidating the multiple foreign affairs bureaucracy. The EU is likely to have a president with a five year term replacing the current practice of rotating the presidency for six months. If Merkel has her way the EU will have treaty (not constitution) by 2009. The idea of forming a unified policy against Russia is not likely to succeed.
The EU economy is flourishing and the generation of leaders that split over the US invasion of Iraq will have gone with the exit of Tony Blair. With three new leaders leading the EU, Markel in Germany, Nicholas Sarkozy, who suffered early political setback in his presidency, in France and Gordon Browne in Britain, the EU will move ahead with new gusto.
Britain will press for adoption of any EU measures by a majority vote rather than unanimous consent. Britain and France will oppose move to give EU representation in global bodies which could lead to London and Paris losing the permanent membership of the UN security council. The hardest problem to resolve, German officials said, is Poland's demand for greater say in decision making. Under present set-up, the EU votes are weighed by population giving Germany twice as much clout as Poland. The EU was formed 50 years through a treaty called the Treaty of Rome. Most European countries are now members of the EU. Can Europe resolve its mid-life crisis ? Yes, if it concentrates on the things that matter most, instead of bickering over the constitution. The choice is between reform and revival or decline and decay, the Economist said in a recent article.