The EU, the crisis, the solution and ourselves
Népszabadság Online 20 June 2005
Language of the original publication: Hungarian
The enlargement of the European Union in 2004 was a mistake. It was plainly obvious since old Member States appeared unable to seize the opportunity which arised with François Mitterrand’s European confederation project, and did not have the political will to start any other form of ambition-based political differentiation during the decade which followed.
In this connection, it is particularly amusing to see the attitude of Jacques Delors and Valery Giscard d' Estaing about the treaty known as constitutional. Both of them clearly took position in favour of the ratification of the treaty. However, one can easily guess that it is only because they know pertinently well that this one does not mean anything at all. Without going into the multiple details which relativize the importance of the text, one will stick to the essence. Delors and Giscard have, in the past, many times noted that the realistic ambitions of the enlarged Europe are somewhere towards the Single European Act adopted at the middle of the 1980’s. That is to say four treaties before this last one. And they are right.
When they say that it is best left to an avant-garde to continue the finalities of the Founding Fathers’ vision and to establish the conditions of political action, the question is not to know "if" but "when". And it is not difficult to see either that the participants of this more ambitious core will need to include a small new and poor Member State, if only to show how open they are. And show also that the only criterion for participation is to subscribe to the political ambitions. Hungarian diplomacy must keep one goal in mind: that this Member State will be us.
(Hajnalka Vincze, The EU, the crisis, the solution and ourselves, Népszabadság Online 20 June 2005, 7,275 characters)
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