ULTIMATE EU GOAL: PEACE AND SECURITY FOR THE CONTINENT

By Martti Ahtisaari and - - Reprint | | Print |

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HELSINKI, Apr 1 2004 (IPS) - Although the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union is the largest in EU history, it is important to realise that it still does not encompass the whole of Europe, writes Martti Ahtisaari, president of Finland in 1994-2000. In this article, the author writes that after the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007 preparations should begin for the next enlargement round. The Union must make sure that it provides the South-East European countries a meaningful and concrete vision for their membership. The EU also needs to establish its relationships with a number of countries not expected to become members in the near future, such as Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. The EU must be able to offer something between mere collaboration and full membership. The final objective for enlargement of the Union to the east is to consolidate peace and security on our continent. The former foreign minister of Poland, Bronislaw Geremek, has said \’\’the enlargement will bring history and geography in harmony with each other\’\’. This goal, which the member states and the applicant states have pursued for over a decade, is finally materialising.

Although the forthcoming enlargement of the European Union is the largest in EU history, it is important to realise that it still does not encompass the whole of Europe; a number of countries will remain outside. It is essential that the EU not stagnate. After the accession of Romania and Bulgaria in 2007, preparations should begin for the next enlargement round. The Union must make sure that it provides the South-East European countries a meaningful and concrete vision for their membership.

The EU also needs to establish its relationships with a number of countries not expected to become members in the near future, such as Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. This is the new neighbourhood or the ”wider Europe”. As Romano Prodi said in an interview last spring, the ”EU needs a circle of friends around its borders”. He stressed that the EU must offer these not-soon-to-be-members a strategic partnership, where everything except the EU institutions will be shared with the circle of friends. The EU must be able to offer something between mere collaboration and full membership.

The Baltic Sea region has often been mentioned as a potential centre of economic growth in the European Union. That is not idle talk. The prospects for healthy economic growth in the area are real as is already shown in the investments that have been made around the Baltic Sea. More is needed in particular in infrastructure so that closer economic ties can be fully developed.

European institutions have several different programmes that can be helpful in building better networks for transport and communication. Some of the already existing institutions, such as the cooperation between the universities in the region, or port authorities in the region have to be enhanced. The history of European integration has proven clearly that the greater our interdependence, the more probable it is that we find solutions to our problems. Progress in one area of integration tends to make progress in other related areas more likely, and sometimes even unavoidable.

The EU membership of Finland and Sweden as well as the ongoing enlargement process has put the question of stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe on the agenda of the European Union. The Union has thus developed policies to address both its relationship with Russia and the northern region as a whole.

The Finnish Government launched the Northern Dimension Environmental Partnership initiative in 1997 to address environmental problems in the north and in Russia especially. It was a new and challenging project, outside of the conventional agenda items of the European Union. It was to become an important policy area of the EU. The Northern Dimension as formulated by the EU is a realisation that mechanisms and assistance were needed to promote regional integration.

Increasing cooperation with Russia also opens up more opportunities for solving the daunting environmental problems that were bequeathed by the former Soviet Union to many northern land and sea areas. The consequences of environmental neglect require urgent action. On a local scale, air pollution in some areas has seriously impaired the quality of life. Careless treatment of nuclear waste poses a threat to people now living in the area and generations to come. The state of the Baltic Sea is tragic, and is a result of policies in all of the littoral states. These are problems that we can only solve by working together.

It has been said that the European Union is like a bicycle: you have to move forward to be able to ride it. It has its hands full managing everyday programmes and issues, internal and external. At the same time it faces major challenges, the outcome of which will have far-reaching consequences for our future.

The final objective for enlargement of the Union to the east is to consolidate peace and security on our continent. The former foreign minister of Poland, Bronislaw Geremek, has said, ”The enlargement will bring history and geography in harmony with each other.” This goal, which the member states and the applicant states have pursued for over a decade, is finally materialising. Whatever challenges lie ahead, this is a time for remembering the great achievements of the EU in widening the zone of stability and prosperity. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)