At decisive moments political leaders displayed, an impressive understanding of the historical dynamic. Statesmen such as Churchill, Adenauer, De Gasperi and Schuman realised in the years following the Second World War that the challenges of the time called for closer cooperation between the countries of Western Europe. Old enmities had to be buried. Europe had to stand up to the new threat of totalitarianism from the Soviet Union. Joint efforts were needed to make economic reconstruction possible.
These newly formulated objectives were reflected in the various multilateral cooperation projects that arose in that period and led, in the military field, to NATO and the WEU, and in the economic field to the European Coal and Steel Community and the Treaty of Rome, thus laying the foundations for today's European Union.
In the first half of the 1980s, the political leaders realised that the economic malaise and the uncertainties in international relations called for further economic and political integration. The main aim of the founders of the European cooperation project - putting past differences behind them - had been achieved so successfully that a project such as the Internal Market was no longer unfeasible, and it is much to the credit of Jacques Delors, Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Kohl and François Mitterrand that they recognised the challenges at that decisive moment and were in a position to come up with answers.
The statesmen that have shaped the process of European integration over the past fifty years had the same qualities as those I have ascribed to William of Orange. They had a practical insight into the fundamental problems of their time and the courage to cut through difficult political knots. It was a moderate approach that helped them to translate this dynamism into workable compromises. For the sake of peace, security and prosperity they were prepared to look beyond their own immediate interests.
They need to pay enough attention to the inherent value of transnational organisations such as the European Commission, the Court of Justice and the European Parliament. Excessive confidence in bilateral relations between the Member States appears to be impairing the "community" dimension of the European Union and the Internal Market.
Political leaders must also be able to recognise the challenges facing Europe at the present time and to come up with appropriate responses.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment