Date:21/01/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/01/21/stories/2003012102781200.htm

National

Enlarged EU to play 'larger global role'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI JAN. 20. The enlarged European Union, which will soon have 25 member states in an economic area serving almost half-a-billion consumers, will be playing an important role in international politics and foreign policy, the visiting Chief Minister of Thuringia in Germany, Bernhard Vogel, said here today.

Addressing an international seminar with his theme piece of "European Unification and Federalism: A German Point of View,'' Dr. Vogel said though the process of European integration was strongly marked in the beginning by economic reasons, the development in the areas of politics and foreign policy had accelerated in the more recent past.

"From this development, everybody has gained. Peace and liberty, as well as internal and external security, can be expanded all over the continent and beyond. The enlargement of the Union is the best instrument it has to promote stability and affluence in its immediate neighbourhood,'' he felt.

Referring to the events of September 11, 2001, Dr. Vogel said it had been "made clear in a horrific manner what fanaticism and delusion can lead to. These events have shown that no country can face these challenges on its own.

Also, it is clearly demonstrated that what happens in one part of the world has its implications in other parts of the world.''

"An isolated position is impossible in this day and age. We will have to deal with the consequences of globalisation not only in the areas of economy and politics, in the social and cultural field, but also as far as national and international peace and security in the broadest sense is concerned.''

The process of enlargement would, however, not be allowed to endanger the success of integration, and for this reason states such as Ukraine and Russia could not be offered full membership in the Union. "Today, the degree of integration between the members of the Union is already so high that the acceptance of states which do not fulfil these criteria could lead to serious destabilisation.''

Dr. Vogel, however, felt that a close political, security-related and economic partnership with these countries below the level of full membership could still be considered. "There is no objection to this. We are duty-bound to our partners to present our point of view clearly, but at the same time offer them a perspective for wide-reaching cooperation.''

Making some comparisons about the development of federalism in India and Germany, he said the constitution of the Indian union after Independence was a more or less centrally oriented one.

The objective was to emphasise and secure national unity. But in the course of time, the trend in India had been towards decentralisation in favour of a strengthening of the States and more latitude at the level of the community.

On the other hand, the Government at the federal level in Germany had during the last decade received additional powers. "To this, there is now added the necessity to look for common solutions to common problems, at the European levels also, so that here too, power can be transferred from the national states to the European institutions. This transfer has been necessary till now and will remain important.''