LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Summer 2010

by Thomas Silberhorn

The key question is whether, against a background of demographic change and globalisation, we in Europe will be able to uphold our values and our way of life in the face of competition from emerging societies

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Sir,

It was the citizen’s desire for freedom that triggered the fall of the Berlin Wall and began the process which overcame the historic division of the European continent. The idea behind European Union’s subsequent enlargement was to permanently anchor far-reaching political changes in the Central and Eastern European countries, and to encourage the development of free societies governed by the rule of law. The stability people at that time aspired to has now become reality.

Mart Laar rightly stresses the impact of prospective EU accession on Central and European countries. After all, 14 long years went by between German unification on October 3, 1990 and the EU’s big bang enlargement on May 1, 2004, while the European Coal and Steel Community was founded a mere seven years after the end of World War II.

This meant accession preparations were particularly thorough and the process of post-accession integration was particularly rapid. Mart Laar describes the economic and social achievements. Dangerous societal upheavals were avoided due to the transitional provisions which applied to both sides. The Single Market benefited old and new member states.

Yet one concern remains; the "big bang" may have created new impetus but it also marked the end of a consistent enlargement strategy. Dropping the "regatta principle" whereby all accession candidates were examined individually led to the spilling over into the EU of bi-lateral disputes like the Cyprus conflict. When Bulgaria and Romania joined on January 1, 2007 their accession required political concessions from the EU whose consequences remain with us to this day.

This lack of consistency in the EU’s enlargement policy now affects the EU's credibility in both member states and in candidate states. The EU needs to become more reliable and this means assessing candidates' suitability for accession on an individual basis, and strictly applying the accession criteria. Furthermore, the limits of the EU's capacity to absorb new states must be established in more concrete terms.

Yet the major tasks associated with European integration in the future will have little to do with the EU's capacity to absorb new members. The key question is whether, against a background of demographic change and globalisation, we in Europe will be able to uphold our values and our way of life in the face of competition from emerging societies. On an optimistic note, our experience of eastern enlargement gives cause for hope as it demonstrates the unrivalled attractions of freedom and democracy.