[A-List] Germany: EU agenda

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Europe is waiting

By Peter Hort
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, October 4 2002

Now that the election is over, so is the anti-European rhetoric in Germany,
and politicians can return to more sensible ideas for the Old Continent's
future. Chancellor Gerhard Schröder should now reaffirm his European duties
in the search for common, rather than divisive, positions.

A glance at Schröder's track record shows substantial damage to European
relations. Under Helmut Kohl, other European countries learned to trust a
German neighbor which, after unification, outweighed all its partners and
assumed a different power-political role, but Schröder's egocentrism and
penchant for unilateral initiatives have irritated many. Its neighbors have
begun to doubt Germany's loyalty to the European alliance.
In addition to the disruptions in German-American relations, Germany has to
repair its relationship with France. The Franco-German relationship is the
engine of European integration, but the engine is now sputtering not only
because of Schröder but also because French President Jacques Chirac's
efforts to use European policy as a means to advance France's influence have
impaired relations between Berlin and Paris.

Despite numerous disputes between the two countries, especially in
agricultural policy, Chirac greeted Schröder with open arms after his
election victory. The chancellor should grasp this opportunity before
January's anniversary of the Elysee Treaty on Franco-German friendship.
Meanwhile, the dual challenge of EU expansion and overdue reforms requires a
joint effort from all 15 EU members. Accession negotiations with 10 of the
12 membership candidates are to be concluded in December. Since the future
financing of agricultural policy will have to be clarified before then,
France and Germany will have to reach compromises on a number of highly
divisive issues.

The EU also has to revive its common foreign and security policy. National
governments should equip the EU foreign policy attaché, Javier Solana, with
greater authority, although this would mean giving up some measure of
national sovereignty.

The Europeans have not fully grasped that most of today's political,
economic and ecological challenges extend beyond national boundaries. The
United States is probably the last country in the world that, if need be,
remains sovereign in its sphere of action and can resolve situations such as
the Iraq crisis of its own accord. The Europeans cannot.