By IPS Correspondents
MADRID, Aug 3 2007 (IPS)

The European Union (EU) is a world power, the largest import market, and the biggest donor of development aid, which puts it in a position to promote democratic globalisation characterised by peace and social justice, according to Enrique Barón Crespo, a member of the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee.

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Because of this, he added, "it plays and ought to play a leading role in supporting democratic globalisation, paying special attention to the development of the countries of the South, which is indispensable for globalisation to go ahead in peace and with social justice."

Barón Crespo is presently the head of the Spanish socialist delegation to the European Parliament (EP), and was formerly the president of the EP (1989-1992) and minister of Transport, Tourism and Communications in Spain from 1982 to 1985 during the first administration of former socialist prime minister Felipe González. He has also been a deputy in the Spanish parliament, and an economics professor.

IPS: Can the EU really be an alternative to the world hegemony enjoyed by the United States?

ENRIQUE BARÓN CRESPO: The EU will have to be the driving force of the world economy in the near future. The U.S. is approaching the end of its economic cycle, and Japan will take a long time to really get over its crisis. The euro is a major currency, and is part of the reserves of most central banks.

IPS: The world is still threatened by wars and armed conflicts. What is the EU doing, or what should it be doing, about this?

EBC: The EU is the first attempt in history to form a supranational democracy, made up of nation-states and covering almost an entire continent. This process ended a history of constant civil wars, brought about peace, and created an engine of prosperity, this region’s greatest gift. Let’s remember that this bloc is a pioneer in building a democratic global world.

IPS: Well, yes, but close to its borders, in Israel and Iran, there is the issue of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction…

EBC: Only two EU countries have nuclear weapons, which they keep for their deterrent value, France and the United Kingdom, which are both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Other countries are capable of producing them, like Germany, Italy and Spain, but have no plans to develop their own nuclear weapons.

The philosophy that prevails in Europe is to maintain and develop all the treaties against proliferation, because there is no reason to instal ballistic and nuclear systems in the centre of the continent. There is no threat.

IPS: In other words, there are no problems?

EBC: Well, yes, there are. Ukraine has more nuclear armaments than France. The situation with the Russian submarine dump is disastrous. The EU has financed programmes to prevent nuclear warheads getting to the black market.

But the most serious problem is in Asia, which already has two nuclear powers, Pakistan and India, and at any time Iran might become the third.

IPS: Given that situation, what position should the EU take? EBC: It should strengthen its unity in the face of unilateral attempts (to build nuclear weapons), and support and favour peaceful uses of nuclear energy. IPS: Israel is said to possess nuclear weapons. What is the EU view on this?

EBC: Israel’s position contrasts with pacification. To the EU, this problem is a priority, and is complicated by the issues of Israel and Palestine. The main thing is to recognise the two states and support the Palestinian National Authority.

The EU is Israel’s main trading partner, and has helped achieved some of the most important advances, such as (the 1993 agreements in) Oslo and the Quartet (the international body mediating the Palestinian-Israeli peace process, made up of the U.S., Russia, the EU and the U.N.).

Now we have to work at downsizing the conventional arms race, and at the right time, put the nuclear issue on the table.

IPS: On the economic front, will the EU continue to subsidise its exports, which hurts the countries of the South?

EBC: This is being negotiated in the Doha Round, which I have followed very closely, and the EU has promised to eliminate export subsidies. It is going forward with reforming the Common Agricultural Policy, on the basis that other countries, especially the U.S., Canada and Australia, do likewise.

IPS: Is there a big difference between the positions of Europe and the U.S.? EBC: The main thing, now, is for the U.S. to agree to cut its subsidies, but instead, President George W. Bush has increased them, for electoral reasons.

IPS: The EU did not support the invasion of Iraq. Is there anything it can do to prevent this sort of thing from happening in another country or region?

EBC: The first thing is not to support this kind of action. But we must remember that since the end of the Second World War, no imperial-type invasion has been accepted. We live in a post-colonial world.

The U.S. failed in Vietnam and had to withdraw. In Iraq, it must reconsider its position. Let’s not forget that we, too, made mistakes, for instance in the second Gulf War (1990-1991). But today it’s clear that the system of imperial adventures is doomed to failure.

IPS: To conclude, do you think democracy is an exportable European product?

EBC: Not at all. We need to strengthen democracy on our continent and support it in the rest of the world, but let’s not forget that the first great debate about the dignity of persons and the inalienable character of human rights began in the Americas. Brave men like (Fray Toribio de Benavente) Motolinía and (Fray Bartolomé de) las Casas, opposed the conquests, the serf labour system imposed upon indigenous peoples, and other forms of slavery. Theories by (Francisco de) Vitoria and (Francisco) Suárez led to the recognition of the rights of peoples.

And in the late 18th century, twin beacons were lit, in the Americas and in Europe, to transform this just cause into a legitimate basis for political co-existence.

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