Welcome New Europe!

[Dreamer128]

The word "historic" has become something of a cliché in Europe, and will doubtless become even more of a platitude this weekend as European government leaders welcome the expansion of the European Union in every possible way.

Although the word itself will no doubt be heard again and again, there'll be a fairly hollow ring to it. Indeed, there's already something of hangover in the air, and that's before the celebrations welcoming the most important growth spurt in the EU's history have even begun.

The pot calling the kettle...
A Dutch member of the European Parliament was recently heard to make slighting remarks about his new Polish colleagues´ only focus of attention being the financial benefits of EU membership. A telling example of the lack of understanding and divergent opinions that separate "old" Europe from "new" Europe. Of course, the East Europeans are not coming to Brussels to admire Mr Prodi's lovely eyes or even to obtain the peace and stability which, according to European Commissioner Günter Verheugen, membership of the union offers. Joining NATO has already given them the desired guarantees of peace and security.

Membership of the EU is indeed a question of money, and not one of inspired future visions of a federal Europe. Such visions are a luxury you can't really afford until your wallet is well filled; and that's far from being the case in Eastern Europe. The fact that the Dutch MEP did not or chose not to see that is bad enough. But his manifest oversight of the fact that it is we in "old" Europe who have been focussing solely on the financial aspect of the EU's enlargement was shameful.

How things change
Little now remains of the initial wave of enthusiasm that accompanied all the generous expressions of solidarity heard at the beginning of the 1990s. When, at an extremely late stage, the EU finally realised that the whole expansion project was going to be an expensive business, cuts were suddenly needed. An urgent overhaul of the agricultural subsidy and regional development systems was required. It's mainly "thanks" to those who were already receiving this financial support from Brussels – such as the union's Mediterranean member states and the French farmers – that the damage finally proved to be limited. As a result, there's still something left for the new member states in Brussels' coffers, although their access to those funds will grow gradually over time.
More shocking still was the way in which most of the EU's current members decided at the last minute to close their borders to cheap workers coming from the new member states. Countries such as Germany and Austria, which are frontline states in this respect, at least took the trouble to negotiate about the issue first. However, most EU states, the Netherlands included, didn't come forward with their extra restrictions until the accession negotiations had been concluded.

Time to party?
Characteristic, perhaps, is a recent comment by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. He said it was unacceptable for the new EU member states to try to lure investors their way with much lower levels of corporation tax. Western Europe is facing difficult economic times, with budget deficits rising and cutbacks being imposed, so it has turned its eyes towards home and stopped looking east in the process.

There's little to see of a celebratory mood in "old" Europe. Let's just hope that won't ruin the party atmosphere in Central and Eastern Europe.

Welcome New Europe!

(RNW.NL)

[Faceman]

The European Union has always been about money, at least that's waht they tell the people to get them in. Of course many - like I do - believe in the idealistic view of a United Europe, but the EU started out as an economic porject and has frequently been communicated as such.
e.g.: When my country joined the EU the ads pro-joining did not focus on how nice it would be to live in a borderless Europe, but on how much cheaper the milk would get.
It's a simple concept, to "lure" the people with financial promises only to achieve your "higher goal" that you deem nobody fit to understand. Just my rant