Sir,
Applicants to the EU club need “tough love" to keep up European standards, according to Richard Rose. But the ex-communist member states have not only met existing membership criteria but enthusiasm or tough love towards EU have been deeper than in most of the old members, in spite of political and economic difficulties, troubling outbreaks of populism, radicalism, extremism and nationalism. Let us not rush to conclude that enlargement was premature.
It should be remembered that dictators in communist countries unlike Spain, Portugal or Greece ruled economic life fully as well. So the transformation required in the ex-communist countries was unprecedented in history. Bearing in mind that each of the eight (by now ten) nations basically met all EU democratic, legal and market economic standards, and adhered to the acquis communitaire, their accession to the EU should be counted an enormous success. Let us also remember that Greece, Portugal or Ireland were hardly ready for the full rigours of EU membership at the time of their accession. Yet they went on to become success stories. It will be the same for new members too.
Transition was painful, with tremendous sacrifices, with so many people in the "east" yet to reap any benefits from market reforms and EU membership, it is no wonder that “accession fatigue" has set in. The word “reform” sounds like a curse to many whose living standards remain below those of the last year of communist rule.
Had accession criteria been even tougher, the people would have suffered greater hardships, potentially resulting in a worse political backlash - possibly even a “virtual” Berlin Wall. Reunification of Europe could have been postponed for decades. Enlargement did not take place too early. Rather, it took place late. Earlier enlargement would have reinforced political stability across the region to the benefit of EU members old and new.
Of course, concerns about democratic standards in the new EU states are legitimate and I agree with Mr. Rose that protection for national minorities could be higher. However, such concerns cannot be confined to the new members, given, for example, that France refuses even to recognise its own national minorities. Do we see xenophobia in new member states? Certainly. Several old EU nations are imposing inhumane immigration laws too.
The EU could impose tougher standards, but EU would only be able to so, if it had any. Most standards belong to the members and not the institutions. Member states – old and new - are happy to blame the EU for, say, the failures of the Lisbon Strategy, even when it is they who have reneged on their own commitments. Tough love would mean that member states transfer more power EU institutions.
"Tough Love" is a good idea – so it must be applied equally to all EU nations.