The pause in European affairs during the Easter break did not involve a pause in political statements. Here are a few of the most important, along with some personal comments.
1. Kosovo: No euroscepticism in the candidate countries. Veton Surroi, a Kosovar politician and intellectual, says that Kosovo has no time to lose and it is urgent to begin the process of joining the EU this year. Asked why he is in such a hurry to join a “chaotic and ever less popular” club, he said: “We don't see chaos the same way as you do because we have lived through it. As far as we are concerned, the EU is continually being built and the current crisis is simply an avatar in its development. Europe has to introduce instruments for the euro. We are not after subsidies - we want to join the family. We don't want to be different. Society in our country is moving in the right direction and setting up democratic institutions, but needs a surrounding environment and that surrounding environment is the EU. The prospect of joining the EU shapes the desire to adjust to the European Community's institutions and criteria”.
Surroi confirms the comments I made in a previous column about the eurosceptic trend because it is not enough to have good intentions. Like any other potential candidate country, Kosovo has to demonstrate that it meets the entry criteria.
2. Jean-Claude Juncker dislikes the Euro-Plus Pact. The chair of Eurogroup has never made a secret of the fact that he is not keen on the European Council's compromise deal known as the “Euro-Plus Pact” because it is full of good intentions but without any bite. His views have not changed and the fact that the Pact has been endorsed by countries that are not even in the eurozone has not changed matters. Addressing the European Movement International on Friday, Juncker repeated his scepticism about the Pact as a repetition of old ideas..
He thinks, however, that the line taken by the European Parliament on economic governance is a move in the right direction and hopes the Council of Ministers/EP talks will take the same approach by the end of May.
3. Turkish prime minister throws caution to the wind. Turkey has made no secret about its anger at the delays and problems arising in its accession talks with the EU, but it usually couches this in diplomatic language. Speaking, however, in a different arena (addressing the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly), the Turkish prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. abandoned the dulcet tones of diplomacy. Turkey is already a member of the Council of Europe and therefore feels it can express itself freely there. He urged European countries to take a critical look at themselves, like France over its deportation of the Roma and the ban on wearing the Islamic veil, and asked parliamentarians of Europe and beyond whether this was true democracy.
In another arena, Erdogan announced that Istanbul would be divided into two - a European section and an Asian section, thus admitting that the European part of Turkey goes no further than the Bosphorus running through Istanbul (formerly known as Byzantium or Constantinople), the rest of the city being in Asia. How can a country that is virtually all Asian join the European Union?
4. Dithering over China? In this column recently, I discussed improvements and a strengthening of EU ties with China (issue 10351 and 10352), but news has arrived recently of spats and disputes. Is the honeymoon over?
I don't think there is anything to worry about. Cooperation is continuing and picking up speed, with China investing in treasury bonds issued by struggling eurozone countries, better balance of trade (with a shrinking EU trade deficit) and the prospects of China revaluing its currency. It is natural for disagreements to increase with stronger ties and the ideological battle has picked up in China, with people looking back to the days of Chairman Mao freely expressing themselves So I don't see the increase in disagreements as a negative sign - on the contrary, it enables the EU to argue its views and defend its rights in areas that couldn't even be discussed in the past (like access to Chinese public procurement). It is quite normal for the EU Trade Commissioner, Karel De Gucht, to express disappointment at lack of progress in improving the business climate in China and opening up the Chinese market, and to announce that the EU will use all the means at its disposal. The fact that there are plenty of disagreements is a good thing.
(F.R./transl.fl)