Lyons, 25/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - The borders of the European Union were one of the main subjects, on 22 September, of the workshops of the Summer University of the European Ideas Network (EIN), a think tank connected with the EPP/ED group at the European Parliament. Observing a certain "enlargement fatigue" among the population, the round table on the geographical borders of the EU came to the conclusion that any future wave of enlargement should be considered in the light of its impact on the internal cohesion of the Union. Most of those who took part believe that the question of the geographical borders of the EU cannot be taken as a separate issue from the European project. The question of religion was not raised. The round table also proposes that the term "absorption capacity" of the Union with regard to a new Member State be replaced by "integration capacity".
Jacques Toubon (EPP/ED, France) called for a new "enlargement strategy" to be set in place: if we want Europe to be nothing more than a free-trade zone, then the borders are not important; if, on the other hand, we choose a political, cultural and social community, then the question of the territory of Europe is relevant. "To say that geography is the answer is not the right response", said the UMP member, who believes that the real issue is as follows: "what is it that we wish to share, to do together?". Once the European project is clearly defined, it will be easier to know which countries wish to adhere to it. The citizens felt "the contradiction" between the creation of a "foetal State mechanism" and "heterogeneous enlargement" which leaves the way open for the Balkans and Turkey, Mr Toubon pointed out. Without referring to any country in particular, Mr Toubon suggested that "other solutions" than accession be proposed to the countries with which the EU hopes for a different relationship than with third countries. He mentioned the system of the European Economic Area (EEA), an "extended association" as a form of intensified EEA, but excluding the free movement of persons, a "differentiated integration" consisting of a process in stages, but without defining the endpoint at the very start, and lastly the "privileged partnership", in which it is stated from the outset that that will be no accession. In the view of Mr Toubon, the EU must decide to stop "extending its boundaries unless it has the resources to takethem on". On Turkey, he spoke of a " situation which is polluting the entire European debate on the image of Europe amongst the population". He went on to suggest: let us have "the wisdom, the courage and the honesty to say: let us move onto something else!".
"The main thing is the political goodwill", said Gunther Burghardt, former leader of the EU Delegation to Washington. He believes that the very fact of determining the nature of the EU's relationship with Russia and Turkey will bring the answer to the question of the geographical borders of the Union. He pointed out that in June 2006, the European Council had decided to define the "fourth Copenhagen criterion", the Union's absorption capacity, more precisely (EUROPE 9213). Manfred Scheich, of the Austrian Institute Of European Security Policy, laid emphasis on the "importance of Europe's internal cohesion" and warned of the "consequences of greater heterogeneity" on the part of the EU on the European project. Ivan Hodac, Secretary-General of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, relayed the message of the large firms in favour of "as big a Europe as possible", encompassing "Turkey and Ukraine", with a "large market" which functions and which has a "regulatory framework which will allow it to compete with the emerging countries". Karl Von Wogau (EPP/ED, Germany) said that he fully agreed with the expression "integration capacity", because the fundamental issue is "solidarity" between the Member States. "The electorate no longer believes that we are not repeating the same mistakes", such as having given Romania and Bulgaria an early date, warned German Christian Democrat Doris Pack. "We must judge the candidate countries on their own merits", she added. The day before, Elmar Brok (EPP/ED, Germany) stressed European values: "the strength in unity is not in numbers, it comes from within. The citizens must feel legitimacy".
In its conclusions, the roundtable agreed that the term "absorption capacity" and be replaced with "integration capacity" to avoid any misinterpretation, and is trying to sketch the outlines of this capacity: "the impact of the new candidate countries on the nature and future development of the integration project and the internal cohesion of the EU; the impact on the construction of a European identity ('we feeling'); the impact on the capacity of the Union to take decisions and to act efficiently; the budgetary and financial implications; the impact on the internal and external security of the EU".