New ideas about European construction

This year, the 9^th of May brought together geopolitical messages from the past, the present, but also from the future. The victory over Nazism in 1945 was mentioned, seen through the lens of Moscow, but also through those of European countries. As we all know, on the 9^th of May we celebrate Europe Day, and this year was different. The war in the Ukraine has brought us closer to European values. Launched a year ago, the Conference on the Future of Europe culminated on May 9, 2022. In the context of the French EU Presidency, in Strasbourg, in the plenary of the European Parliament, the newly re-elected French President presented some ideas about the future of the Union.

 

We are very interested in this debate, which often seems philosophical and distant from the citizens. Since the beginning of May, there has been talk of a possible revision of the European Treaty. Immediately, just a few days later, two groups of EU member states polarized. Some mentioned that it was important to clearly understand the need for this complicated procedure before launching revolutionary scenarios.

 

The idea of ​​a Political European Community, a concept first presented by Emmanuel Macron, moved the European system. It is good to see the details of this construction, parallel or not to the EU, a kind of waiting room for EU accession or not. Specific reference was also made to certain policies that should be addressed in this structure, such as defense, energy, transport and infrastructure. In the context of the war, any mention of a European defense policy is of the utmost interest. Maybe that's why even the United Kingdom was included as a possible member of this political structure. It is interesting to note the reaction of the British to this invitation.

 

We wonder, of course, how this project is viewed in the Balkans. Many will see it as a bureaucratization, even a postponement, of EU membership. Experts claim that the Eastern Partnership itself was a construction along the same lines… Let's ask Ukrainians or Moldovans about the usefulness of such cooperation. But let's not forget Norway, Switzerland and - of course - Turkey.

 

Few still remember in the early 1990s the idea that the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, newly liberated from the Soviet yoke, should form an alliance of their own, like the EU2. I am very glad that this idea was not followed, and we now have the opportunity to unite the continent through a single European Union.

 

Future developments will certainly bring us more information over the coming months about a European Political Community or what we need to change at institutional level in order to have a more efficient Europe. The concept of European strategic autonomy is accelerating and we will gradually have sectoral analyses such as ˝the contribution of the automotive sector to a stronger Union˝. In this context, the mechanism of the European industrial champions will most likely be relaunched, on a classic France-Germany development axis, following the model of the aerospace company Airbus.

 

We will be discussing more and more about European strategic sectors, be they health, the food supply chain, energy or security and defense cooperation. We will start talks on European relations with countries such as India or the big countries in South America. Everything is pragmatic, economic and political.

 

We will have spicy, probably controversial, discussions about nuclear power and shale gas exploitation in Central Europe. But we will talk realistically about national interests in a well-articulated European ensemble.

 

Dan LUCA / Brussels