A United Nordic Federation? Nordic European countries are looking into setting up a federal state between them which would be a member of the EU and would be present in international organisations, obviously carrying greater weight than the separate countries on their own. In alphabetical order, the countries in question are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden along with three autonomous territories - the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.
Swedish historian and economist Gunnar Wetterberg mooted the idea a year ago. It has since been developed (the Swiss model was suggested as a possible option) and has caught the attention not only of the countries in question but also of the European Parliament. The members of the United Nordic Federation would pool their foreign policy and defence policy, probably along with research. The economy and labour market would be closely coordinated but the regional bodies would have wide autonomy over other matters. The United Nordic Federation would have its own constitution, legislative assembly and government. This would be a gradual process with the year 2030 suggested for the first joint elections. The countries in question have a past history of wars and conflicts, and it is only now that they can for the first time sit down and discuss such an idea peacefully. The outcome would be a federal state of around 25 million inhabitants and an economic power ranking among the world's top 10 or 12. It could be part of the G20 and other international bodies that the Nordic countries are not currently part of. Wetterberg says that his idea is perfectly compatible with membership of the European Union and could help the Nordic countries have greater influence and better defend their interests in the EU.
Food for thought for separatists? I am not commenting here upon the United Nordic Federation idea as such, but I would like to mention it as a possible antidote to the trend elsewhere in Europe where states that have been unified for a long time now want to splinter off into separate parts. Increasing the autonomy of the regions and recognising the cultural and historical differences of various communities is possible and sometimes justified. Alain Lamassoure has recently spoken of Flemings, Lombards, Catalans, Scots and Bavarians in this connection. The creation of separate mini-states, however, means less influence in Europe and the world at large, and the danger of new barriers. The Nordic countries' motivations should be carefully studied. Separatists often ignore the European and world repercussions of their plans. To give an example, the director of the European Institute of a major Swiss university has commented: “It is hard to imagine that the European institutions will remain in Brussels if its status remains in dispute for any length of time”. Further food for thought.
Greater fiscal and budgetary clarity, but… There is greater clarity about the French translation of the English word “fiscal” and in the European Council conclusions document, the adjective is properly translated into French each time as “budgétaire” from the introduction onwards: discipline budgétaire is the proper French translation of the English term fiscal discipline. At the same time, however, leading commentators and well-known figures still use the wrong words in French. In a document I commented upon in my column last week, the president of Notre Europe, Tommaso Padoa Schioppa, continues to use the French word “fiscal” when it just doesn't make any sense at all because his misuse of the term ends up saying the opposite of what he is trying to put across. For example, the English words budget stability sometimes mean increasing taxes but fiscal stability means keeping taxes unchanged. When the word fiscal is used in a French document, translators into English often have to avoid using the English word “fiscal” when translating it, preferring to use “taxation” to avoid any misunderstanding. Clarity is essential.
A meaning to life. I could hardly ignore in my column the death of Max Kohnstamm, described by Jacques Delors as “one of the great figures of European integration”. Kohnstamm was involved in negotiating the Schuman Plan that led to the first European Community, and was the first secretary general of the High Authority chaired by Jean Monnet. I will simply quote a comment made by Kohnstamm in July 2002 about his commitment to the European ideal: During the war, “I became aware simultaneously of the fragility of European civilisation and the possibility of giving meaning to its very existence”.
(F.R./transl.fl)