EU european union, member states, Europe-power, Russia, China, diplomatic failures
"If I had to sum up the objective of this presidency in one sentence, I would say that we must move from a Europe of cooperation within our borders to a powerful Europe in the world, fully sovereign, free of its choices and master of its destiny." In a press conference on December 9, 2021, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, unveils his program for the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, whose priority axis is to make the Union a Europe-power. Europe, which is a recognized economic power, would not yet be a major global player.
[...] Other countries, such as Poland, Portugal, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, have also suspended the ratification process. This halt to European construction was followed by the rise of sovereignist movements, favouring a Europe of nations where states would be more sovereign (Les Echos, 2021). This scepticism towards a powerful Europe and a political union that would go beyond the common market, which is perceptible among the European peoples, certainly also has its roots in the evolution of Western societies after the fall of the Berlin Wall. [...]
[...] The Member States do not share the desire for a Europe-power, while the institutional functioning of the Union favors to some extent imbalances and disagreements The Member States do not share the desire for a Europe-power The desire for a Europe-power has been defended by the President of the French Republic since he took office. In his speech at the Sorbonne, Emmanuel Macron wants to make Europe an industrial and monetary economic power, competing with China and the United States. [...]
[...] In this context, it is up to the European Union, and more specifically the European institutions, to coordinate the various national positions in order to obtain a common position. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has thus had to make numerous concessions to those states (in particular the Netherlands and Austria) that were opposed to the European Union's recovery plan in response to the Covid crisis, including a reduction in the common multi-annual budget and an increase in the rebates on the annual contributions of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Sweden. [...]
[...] The case of Georgia and its implications, International Affairs 86 pp. 87-107 Zielonka, J Europe as a global actor: empire by example? International Affairs 84 pp. [...]
[...] The end of "the last great struggle that structured Western intellectual life" (The Great Continent op. cit.) and diplomatic relations, namely anti-totalitarianism, in fact gives way to the "end of history" and "an implicit which was the permanent extension of democracies and individual freedoms." In the absence of geopolitical rivalry and clashes between powers wanting to impose their hegemony if not to win the battle of world leadership, the European Union has not led in recent decades major contemporary struggles legitimizing the strengthening of this political Union. [...]
APA Style reference
For your bibliographyOnline reading
with our online readerContent validated
by our reading committee
