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European integration should be speeded up

Wed, 22/11/2006 - 22:48 — Sandor Lisznyai

Starving is a pleasant form of dying, if you have the means and devices to create an appropriate environment for it. Pleasant, because after a while you are not hungry - your body is in a desperate state of catabolism, but your mind is detached from the inner catastrophe. This shows the wonderful capacity of human adaptation, even on the level of basic needs. Needs have an appropriate timing - an optimal moment to fulfil them. If you miss this opportunity, needs themselves can change.

Hungary and the Eastern European countries had accomplished a long and hard fought process integrating to Europe by 1989. That time the need to join was quite a normal one. It was not compelling: a country that survived and got disgusted of a paternalistic soft centralisation and bureaucracy, wanted to move towards a global market and freedom of values.

One of the biggest mistakes of the European integration process was not offering immediate membership for the Visegrad countries.

These countries were in a better condition - at least in those terms relevant to European integration - than they are now in 2006. The economic output could have caught up with the 1989 GDP by 2001, the political intentionality of the people of Hungary in 2006 has dropped to the atmosphere of the 1957 May 1 celebrations. But this is not the worst thing that happened. The worst happened to Europe and to Hungary: both sides lost perspectives. Prejudices grew towards the candidates, and frustration grew towards Western EU in Hungary. After 2004, Hungarians felt they were part of an inevitable procedure, and perceived integration as charity, not generousity.

The lack of models and self-confidence creates the identity of failures, and Europe cannot price its values and economy in opposition to the rest of the field, America and the developing far East. The anxiety means the lack of generousity, and creates a team of frustrated losers, like Hungary.

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Comments

Tue, 28/11/2006 - 22:47 — Tamas Feher

Historical precedents

Although I deeply agree with your current statement, I'd prefer to look back to previous EU enlargements to get a full picture.  First of all, I always believed that a strong parallel can be drawn between the democratisation and integration of Southern Europe and the ongoing Eastward enlargement. The situtation is quite similar: countries tend to join the big European family, such countries which had introduced liberal democracy and market economy a certain period of time earlier, following decades of totalitarian rule. So it seems this 'certain period of time' factor did count for the EU from an historical point of view. Let's take a closer look:

In the case of Greece 7 years had to pass between 1974 (the first democratic elections) and 1981 (their joining the EU). As for Portugal it was 12 years (1974-1986). And the biggest bit, Spain, had to wait and improve herself for 11 years (from Franco's death in 1975 to 1986).

Arithmetically speaking, for the South Europeans it took an average of 10 years from the beginning of the democratisation process to the time they were finally allowed to join the EC.

Considering these historcal precedents, in my opinion, the Eastern enlargement should have taken place around the millennium.

Another thing I wish to highlight is that, as far as I can see, this 'big-bang' enlargement might have been a huge mistake. It was just simply too large for the EU at one bite. In the first round only the three economically most developed and most Westernised countries, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovenia should have been allowed to join. Then, in a second round could have come Poland, Slovakia and the Baltics. GPD per capita, unemployment and agricultural statistics all shored up this scenario. And the West could have easily avoided the massive influx of immigrants into their countries especially to the UK.

As to the current attitude of the people in the new Eastern member states, a Hungarian journalist put down the following on the eve of the EU enlargement: 'It is like when you proposed the bride 14 years ago and waited for her patiently. Finally, the wedding has come and you had to realise that the bride has got a lot uglier and fatter and became unnice during one and a half decades.'

 

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