LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Autumn 2007

by Pawel Zalewski

RELATED ARTICLES:

---

Sir,

In the next few years, the European Union will face a major challenge to establish a common foreign policy. To exercise this function properly, the EU will need both the political commitment of member states plus stronger and more streamlined institutional mechanisms. Only time and experience will tell whether the institutional proposals currently being discussed are the right ones for the task ahead. In the meanwhile, a joint foreign policy can still be pursued within the institutional framework created by the Treaty of Nice. I believe that the two biggest tests for a joint EU foreign strategy – under whatever institutional arrangements – will come over Europe’s relations with Russia and the US.

Relations with Russia are already an urgent matter of foreign policy for the Union after numerous recent incidents put Moscow in the international spotlight. These include the murders of the independent reporter Anna Politkovska and the former KGB officer Alexander Litvinenko, the unprecedented “cyber war” on Estonia last April and the unresolved question of Russia’s embargo on imports of Polish meat. These events demonstrate emphatically the need for the EU to defend our common values as well as our collective national interests.

Last May’s summit in Samara was a landmark in the history of the enlarged EU. For the first time, the leaders of the former EU15 stood up for the interests of a member state admitted to the EU in 2004. A firm and coherent response to Russian policy constituted a major qualitative change in the EU’s foreign and internal relations. However, an informed and united EU policy towards Moscow will require western European powers to increase their understanding of the specific character of relations between Russia and the countries of central and eastern Europe. This must include a clearer appreciation of the strategic interests of Russia’s smaller European neighbours, particularly over the crucial question of energy supplies. Only then can a common EU position be developed, one that can be decisive for Europe’s intricate relations with Russia.

The second major objective of a common EU foreign policy must be more amicable relations with the United States. The arrival of French President Nicolas Sarkozy provides the first chance for many years for Europe to restore a proper dialogue with Washington over the question of security. If this dialogue is to succeed, all of Europe must adopt a more positive attitude towards Washington; both sides of the trans-Atlantic partnership should work in harmony, not opposition. As well as strengthening trans-Atlantic cooperation, better relations with the US would also provide an opportunity to improve inter-European relations and to reinforce the EU’s hand in global policy towards Russia.