LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Autumn 2009

by Martin Povejsil

Sir,

Frans-Paul van der Putten’s article on Europe’s global decline is welcome but flawed. He says the EU is a “declining global security power.” Is it really? I believe EU soft power contributes to the stability of the global environment. Van der Putten also says that Europe’s decline is caused by the rise of others, China in particular. I strongly disagree. The indisputable rise of China reflects her potential as an economic and political power but is unconnected with Europe’s changing role in the world. Perhaps a better way of understanding the EU’s international position is to consider it from an outsider’s point of view. So let us look at how non-Europeans like the Chinese see the EU.

Chinese think tanks view the EU as offering some potential for economic cooperation. As a strategic partner, however, the EU appears to be inconsistent both in its bilateral dealings with China and on the international arena. The EU is not seen as presenting any danger both because of its lack of military strength, and because it is so easily divided. Beijing therefore believes it could achieve its desired strategic goals through state-to-state negotiations.

A frequent allegation against the EU is its “self-imposed sense of moral superiority and the need to impose its values on others“. This can make the EU seem patronising and didactic, and that inevitably provokes a reaction. So what can the EU do to improve its position vis-à-vis the international community, and exert more influence over their behaviour? First, the EU must strengthen its union and speed up foreign policy decisionmaking. The EU must also be seen to be united behind a solid set of common interests. This in turn calls for systematic efforts to improve the presentation of a united EU on the world stage. On the economic front, the EU should think again about which sectors are of strategic importance, and what measures to take to protect them. Last but not least, the EU could try to raise its profile in East Asia.

The economic and political rise of China is an undeniable phenomenon but it is wrong to state that any change in the EU’s global position is a priori due to China’s rise. The EU’s global role is a complex set of interactions with many other players, great and smaller nations alike.