European Visions in Davos : (Page 3)

January 27, 2012

Understandably, for many, particularly in countries such as the U.K. and France, a post national future is still too hard to swallow. However, as the German Foreign minister Guido Westerwelle recently pointed out, the history of the past 60 years has shown that shared sovereignty, particularly in Europe, is the best insurance policy against political instability or worse, war. And to those pointing at current and future challenges, Merkel responds that the EU is more than a successful legacy of the past. As she emphasizes, in a globalized world, crowded with emerging powers, a fractured Europe simply does not stand a chance.

For this pragmatic, somewhat dry German Chancellor, what she described in Davos is the closest she has ever come to a vision of Europe. Early next week, at the next European summit in Brussels, we will see if and how her words translate into concrete action.

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1 Comment

  1. avatar K Bledowski says:
    January 27, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    Alexander Privitera strikes the right chords.

    In Britain and France sovereignty is strongly entrenched in the national narrative. It will be hard to turn it around and imbue the populace with new allegiance toward a still-nebulous entity. Trust in existing EU institutions is on the wane everywhere in the Union, including Germany.

    Almost all federations that emerged in the past few centuries came into being in the wake of conflicts, wars, or threats to geopolitical stability (the 1957 Treaty of Rome and the 1871 Deutsches Kaiserreich falling into this category, too). A quest for security stood always at the core of giving up one type of allegiance in return for another. Somewhat perversely, Europe faces none of the above types of threats today. How much of a challenge this will present remains to be seen.

    Another will be Germany’s position. Angela Merkel’s policy of support for European integration is admirable and needed. Yet she’s backed only feebly by her compatriots. True, Germany top Europe’s rankings among nations most of favor of shifting more authority to the EU for managing member states’ policies. On the other hand, the Germans never wanted the euro, and their support for the EU may well fade quickly when confronted with the hard-headed choice.

    The road to a European federation will be arduous and winding. But it well be the only first-best choice for long-term stability on the continent.

    Reply

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