The European Union Is Being Successful despite Itself and Its Skeptics - Essay Example

1Thesis: The European Union is being successful in spite of itself and its skeptics. Histories of attempts at unifying Europe's diverse nation s fill volumes. Julius Caesar's Roman Legions held the area equivalent to the modern European Union during nearly seven years of war (58-51BC) . His efforts to create an involuntary European Union were nearly destroyed when Gallic tribes were unified by Vercingetorix, chieftain of the Averni. Caesar surrounded and starved the attacking armies causing Vercingetorix to surrender. Vercingetorix was taken to Rome, imprisoned for five years and finally executed most likely by strangulation. Despite this brutal victory, every school child knows, not even the Roman Empire could maintain its hold on the many independent nationalities of Europe. Napoleon and Hitler had no better success than the Roman Empire and the staggering costs of the last two world wars was motive enough to inspire another more democratic solution. The fact that nations continue to apply for acceptance into the European Union (EU) and the fact that only one EU member has ever renounced its EU citizenship speaks for the effectiveness in unifying diverse and autonomous nations. This combined with the lack of war on the European continent despite major differences and the fall of the Soviet Union, demonstrates the pacifying influence of the EU. While the world wide press continues to coin gleefully cynical terms like Euro-Skeptics, Europhobiles, Euro-pessimists and Euro-cynics, the unification of Europe is an idea whose time has come. This union is maintaining peace. Regardless of all of the sovereignty issues, problems with democracies and economies...its fundamental reason for conception has been more or less maintained by standing as a pillar uniting the Continent of Europe rather than allowing it to dissolve into war. One of the ways that this peace has been maintained is through the creation and acceptance of European wide rules of law and economic criterium. The source of some criticism comes from younger ages groups disenchanted with unemployment issues. Seeking easy answers to their plight they have blamed the European Union on their situation. One potential pitfall to the unification of Europe is changing demographics of the continent as those with vivid memories of war pass on business and political leadership to a generation that doesn't remember what a real air raid drill was all about. The memory and fear of world war had a lot to do with the creation of the EU. New treaties and agreements will have to go beyond peaceful co-existence and address employment and social issues more directly than the original organizing policies have done if long term stability is to be maintained. With post World War II reconstruction proceeding to return Europe to a functioning collection of individual nations, the idea of a unified Europe rose to the top of the continental discussion as it had after World War I. "A number of European leaders in the late 1940s became convinced that the only way to establish a lasting peace was to unite the two chief belligerent nations - France and Germany - both economically and politically"(U.S. Central Intelligence Agency 2006). The Treaty of Amsterdam on the European Union (EU) which came into force on 1 May 1999 states that the EU: must be maintained and developed as an area of freedom, security and justice; (an area) in which the free movement of persons is assured; in conjunction with appropriate measures with respect to external border controls, asylum, immigration and the prevention and combating of crime. (Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security of the European Commission, 2006) The European Commission has gained the ability to resolve international disputes peaceful because member nations have given up some of their autonomy for the greater benefits afforded its members in politics, economics as well as social structure. The EU -15 as they were referred to seem to have come to the Union for economic reasons according to most sources yet the result has been peace. Although the late comers Portugal and Spain can be viewed from more political motives trying to stabilize new administrations. Still the EU members shared many similarities as traditional European countries. The next set of inductees into the EU had been outside the European fold for almost one hundred years. These eastern European nation states were beleaguered orphans of the former Soviet Union. As these nations struggled to gain their own identities and nationalities they looked to the EU for legitimacy. Realizing that their citizens suspected new and potentially incompetent administrations they eagerly hooked up to an organization with a track record of stability. The European Union. So, in spite of the critics howling from the sidelines about to much diversity and economic albatrosses, the EU really had no choice but to admit these new members in the hopes of guiding them into stable nation states and reliable economies. The umbrella of European citizenship was motive enough for these fledgling democracies. Again creating peace by pushing struggling countries into peaceful solutions to their cultural and economic problems. The long term growth of the EU and its appeal to all current member nations has been the structure of uniformity that has been established through key EU institutions established by evolving treaties. The adoption of these treaties has not been easy and the critics still challenge their governments to ignore many of the adopted treaty provisions Yet, the system is working due to the overall structure of the EU. While Euro-Skeptics may argue that the EU is short hand for "no bureaucrat left behind" central institutions are functioning and contributing to the broadening view that there is one Europe. This "One Europe" view makes it harder for members to allow the escalation of differences into full blown war. The forum for addressing grievances is now diplomacy in the courts of Brussels. Not war on the battlefield. The most extreme Euro-skeptics in Britain share the opinion of Malcolm Pearson, an independent Conservative member of the House of Lords, Britain's upper house of parliament. "I think the European project was an honorable project at the time. I think the people who invented it thought they were doing the best thing to prevent war in Europe. But it excludes the people from the decision-making process, and I think you are beginning to see signs of great discontent. The whole European project should be abandoned. Europe should be a Europe of collaborating democracies, trading freely and linked through NATO. That way lays peace and prosperity."(Radio Free Europe, 2006). While this attitude is heard in other nation states, the ancient puzzle "how do you un-crack an egg", comes to mind. Except for a serious diversion in the Balkans, peace has been the primary rule since 1945. There is no other period of European history that has seen unilateral peace for over sixty years. A growing European economy and growing peaceful communication between previously warring states and the EU concept of strength in unification is keeping the EU-25 together and is encouraging other countries to apply for membership as well. Treaties between competing counties are removing trade barriers. Further proof that the EU structure is nurturing old and new economies alike. An additional key to the historic success of the EU is the incremental and mutually acceptable steps that have been taken since 1951 to develop trust between states and publicity surrounding the positive results from new institutions created by the EU."However, significant developments have also occurred within the Union itself, making it a 'moving target' for the outside world. Thus, over time, not only does the nature of the aspirant states change, but also the EC/EU itself has evolved into a different kind of political system to which new member states need to be accommodated. " Each member nation, referred to as member states, will have to develop a system of adopting this new constitution. Amendments continue to water down the supranational design, yet voluntary adoption can only be accomplished by each member state freely embracing the concept of unity. Some nations will be having national elections. Some will be deciding by vote of their governing institutions. Time will tell if the skeptics prevail on this issue. But, if trends follow the success of the common currency, the European Constitution maybe viewed as successfully as the Euro in linking nation states together."(Falkner, 2000) The Euro has been a vital contributor to the success of the EU is the concept of competition in the global economy. This competition with open trade negotiations has cemented relationships between nations. Dire predictions about China's ever expanding economic engine and a desire to stay in the game against powerful North American markets is a big motivation for a unified European economy. While the development of a single unit of currency may not seem like a motive for world peace, it really is foundation stone for mutual cooperation. Countries that uses the same financial institutions are much less likely to attack each other than are countries that can vilify each other with glaring differences of culture and economy. The lure of economic expansion was married with the fear of war into a system that continues to evolve. A system that continues to face challenges. In the mid 1990's British politicians were not alone in voicing their Euro -Skepticism. British Prime Minister, John Majors was hailed by some as a realist and denounced by others as a doom monger in 1997 for speaking up against the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, calling for the creation of a common currency. Yet, less than ten years later on November 5th 2004, Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, Member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank gave a speech in Paris to the Annual Conference of the Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers lauding the success of the Euro. "Looking back at the experience over the past six years with the euro, I am inclined to say that the sceptics were wrong". (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2004) In spite of this apparent success the Euro remains under attack with countries like Norway refusing to adopt the currency. Even France has tripped over perceptions that the Euro creates higher prices. Their recent vote against the proposed European Constitution is viewed as a referendum against the Euro but not as a vote against European unification. The brewing controversy over alleged shoe dumping by China and Vietnam (BBC News Mar. 2006) raises additional concerns about the EU's ability to open markets and reduce trade barriers. Yet through all of this controversy the EU institutions are handling these disputes through diplomacy and there is no talk of war or armed conflict to resolve these issues. The success of the EU in adapting to the needs of its member states, nudging fledgling democracies in a peaceful direction and helping bolster old administrations is accomplishing previously unknown levels of cooperation and peaceful communication that would have been unheard of before World War II. One additional factor for lasting peace among the members of the EU is the commission's Human Rights and Minority criteria for membership. These rules require member applicants to work out ethnic and religious differences at the conference table, not in the street. The requirement of an open and ongoing dialogue between different cultures within individual member states takes the ammunition for conflict away from disgruntled minorities and instead places the burden on everyone to work out acceptable and peaceful agreements. If this system had been further along, supporters of the EU rightfully argue that the tragedy of the recent Balkan wars could have been avoided as well. "The European Community - and now the European Union - and the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE - the forerunner of the OSCE - and also known as "the Helsinki Process") were both born out of the cold war, with a similar desire - to establish forms of co-operation in Europe which would defuse the tensions between former enemies and prevent further conflict on the Continent. While the EC was designed to make war impossible again in Europe, by integrating the economies of the member States and by developing supranational institutions, the purpose of CSCE was to reduce tensions between the West and the Soviet bloc by facilitating dialogue and mutual contacts. It is therefore natural that a degree of co-operation should have grown up since the founding of the CSCE, with the Helsinki Final Act, in 1975 and that a further transformation is now necessary to adapt the institution to the new challenges of the 21st century. (Europa External Relations, 2005). It is the cumulative impact of diverse agencies work for the purposes of peace that lend weight and authenticity to the EU and its design to bring a lasting European peace. Critics keep everyone on their toes but have no better handle on predicting the future than the supporters of European unification. The European Union will continue to evolve, serving its ever diversifying member states with a flexible structure, modified and evolvin treaties and an occasional change in direction. The one thing that has not changed since the time of Julius Caesar is the drive to unify the continent of Europe. But prior to the European Union, there was no union expressly designed to maintain peace in Europe by developing common institutions. Dictators and Generals from Napoleon to Hitler could easily side step any treaties and pursue their visions of reshaping the map of Europe. Now there are barriers that maintain the map of Europe, a common boundary encircles its member states but sovereign states boundaries remain as well. Thus preventing individual will or the use of force to overpower the collective will of the continent, insuring peace. The EU track record of making changes and its willingness to enforce standards of conduct in the areas of human rights, free trade, freedom of movement, and security all within the framework of mutually agreeable rules creates an institution that should endure skeptics and critics. Leaders from all of the member states continue to remain open to new members and with each new member nation the assurance of a permanent and stable peace. What is unique about the European Union is that its unification is being done in board rooms and government chambers. Not in the killing fields. No other effort has succeeded so well or so far in spite of wars, strangulations and skeptics as the European Union. Annotated Bibliography BBC News, "EU members split on shoe dumping", Mar. 16, 2006 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4811798.stm) Mar. 21, 2006 Up to date example of Skeptics in action dealing with trade issues. A vital factor for peace. European Commission, Europa External relations, "The EU & the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)"Jul. 2005 http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/osce/index.htm Mar. 21, 2006 European Commission, "Settling out of court - developing alternative methods to resolve civil and commercial disputes in the European Union"2006 http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/fsj/civil/dispute/wai/fsj_civil_dispute_en.htm Falkner, Gerda and Michael Nentwich,"Enlarging the European Union: The Short-Term Success of Incrementalism and De-Politicisation", MPIfG Working Paper 00/4, July 2000, http://www.mpi-fg-koeln.mpg.de/pu/workpap/wp00-4/wp00-4.html Mar. 19, 2006 Excellent over view of current and historic evolution of European Union Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 2006 RFE/RL, Inc). http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2004/12/ba8d5eb8-8ffe-44c5-ac92-b9be868bd1a9.html, Mar. 20, 2006 Example of Euro-Skeptics depth of concerns. Schifferes, Steve "Final round for global trade deal", BBC News, Dec.21, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4547866.stm Mar. 20, 2006 Up to date example of Skeptics in action dealing with trade issues. Tumpel-Gugerell, Gertrude "Six Years after the Euro: Success and Challenges."Annual Conference of the Association of Private Client Investment Managers and Stockbrokers. Paris Nov.5,2004. European Central Bank, Directorate Communications, Press and Information Division Kaiserstrasse 29, D-60311 Frankfurt am Main http://www.ecb.int/press/key/ date/2004/html/sp 041105.en.html Mar 19,2006. Positive results showing that critics may have been wrong about the single monetary currency. U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook. "European Union". January 10, 2006 CIA http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/ee.html, Mar. 17, 2006 3/17/06 Good overview of history and structure of the European Union Wikipedia , History of the European Union", Mar. 20, 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_European_Union, Mar. 17, 2006 Good overview of history and structure of the European Union Wikipedia , Vercingetorix History, Mar. 18, 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vercingetorix Mar. 19, 2006 Example of the long history towards European Unification Read More