What is Jacques Delors's position on the ambitions and objectives of "Greater Europe"? He has laid it out for all to see on several occasions, but it is not a pointless exercise to return to it (taking account of his successive updates), ahead of the overall reflection on the future of the European Union, which has been decided on by the Heads of Government. Superficial minds might take his vision amiss. He has been criticised for recommending the classic "two-speed Europe", in which certain Member States would be in the first division, and others in the second. This is not at all what it's about. What happened to him is exactly as Paul Valéry described it: "Ni lu ni compris- aux meilleurs esprits- que d'erreurs promises" (Neither read nor understood: to the best of minds so many errors are promised). In fact, what Jacques Delors flags up as ambitions and objectives common to all represents the main part of it. All the Member States, whether there are 25 or 30 of them or more, would take a full part in it. Additional achievements would be those which, in his view, it would be unrealistic to plan straightaway for all; some would not want to be a part of it, others would not be able to. But the doors would remain open. The objective is to avoid blocking or delaying concrete achievements because one or the other Member State would not or could not keep up. In that case, the ones which can and which want to would go forward, with all appropriate guarantees in place for the others.
In the following summary, I am referring essentially to the text of his Memoirs (our translation throughout); there are, in his view, three "reasonable ambitions" for the Greater Europe.
The area of peace and stability. This space would involve the stability of borders, with an active coexistence between majority and minority populations. It calls for "an exceptional effort in the Balkans", representing an "historical revolution" in these countries. This first objective would include the "Copenhagen criteria" (liberty, democracy, human rights, etc) and internal security "as crime has become internationalised, and we all suffer the same ills".
A framework for sustainable and fair development. This objective covers anything that comes under the heading usually known as the Europe of the economy. For Jacques Delors's money, however, this does not simply correspond to a greater market without borders, extended to 50 million inhabitants or more. For him, "a market-area of 500 million inhabitants cannot work without rules which apply to all equally and which are obeyed". If the greater market was largely completed in 1985, this was not because a decision was made to get rid of borders, but because this market is based on a triptych: competition which stimulates, co-operation which reinforces, and solidarity which unites. This triptych must be developed and reinforced. Cooperation worked in the context of structural policies due to partnership with the regions; this must be extended to the macro-economic policy (to heal the atrophied leg of the Economic and Monetary Union) and research (because none of our countries is big enough to do everything). Solidarity is just as indispensable. According to Jacques Delors, "we could never have created the single market if the sum awarded to structural policies had not grown from five to 33 billion EUR in 15 years. But it is not just a question of money. Local and regional authorities saw that Europe existed; they did not just sit and wait for funds from it, but they proposed innovations and exchanged experience". And this is the path we need to go down.
Respect and enriched expression of diversity. The identities, languages and cultures of all must be safeguarded. Jacques Delors was the first to include them among the objectives of European integration: "nothing must be deleted from such a turbulent history, neither the Eastern Schism, nor the Ottoman conquests, nor any of it... Europe must become wealthier and wealthier in its specificities and its dialogues".
Not the vanguard. So, those are the three objectives. As for progress, political and otherwise, Mr Delors's answer is "differentiation". Since the relaunch in 1985, Europe has made progress because some countries have been further ahead than the others. The provisions of the Economic and Monetary Union would not have been adopted if the United Kingdom and Denmark had had to give their agreement. The social protocol would never have been born if the British had not been granted their opting out. The euro would not be in circulation today between 12 Member States if we had had to wait for a unanimous agreement. Similar possibilities need to be opened up in other fields, but it must be clear to everybody that "what we are proposing to do is to move Europe forward, rather than to cut the projects into several parallel or different adventures". The formula of the vanguard, therefore, is rejected. Each country will be able to join the group, as Greece did for the single currency.
Some people may have reservations about this vision. But the reflection is underway; it now remains for everybody to put their cards on the table. Jacques Delors (see also this column from yesterday and the day before) has. (F.R.)