The following opinion piece was sent to EurActiv by Romanian MEP Corina Cretu, vice-chairwoman of the European Parliament's development committee and a member of the EU assembly's Socialist & Democrats group.
"I am not very sure that the reasons for the bitterness and frustration felt in the former socialist countries upon hearing the news that the American side has given up on the installation of elements for an anti-missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland have been fully understood in Washington. Even more so as the moment of the announcement coincides with a period of remembrace for the events which led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of communism.
No-one in Europe in general, and especially from the East, desires the return of the Cold War. It is just that the way in which the agreements to install these elements, and the way in which these agreements were relinquished, takes us back to the practices of that period.
The feeling that the United States of America and Russia have settled behind our backs, the fact that our opinion does not matter, have engendered new fears. Namely that the United States of America is preparing to change its external political priorities in a radical manner, granting less importance to Europe, thus opening the door to the increased influence of Russia on European affairs.
The misgivings towards Russia are not without reason. Last month was the one-year anniversary of the armed events in Georgia, which showed the danger of the frozen conflicts in the Caucasus and in the South-East Europe region. Russia's military rebuff reminded us of the Prague Spring and the invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Unfortunately, the inflation of projects to resolve this and competition between their promoters has delayed their resolution on a permanent and equitable basis.
Another cause for concern with Russia represents its energy policy and the use of the energy carriers as a weapon to achieve pre-ponderant political objectives rather than economical objectives.
That is why the connecting-up of the elements of the anti-missile shield in the Czech Republic and in Poland was seen as an insurance policy against Russia's tendencies to interfere in Europe's affairs in general. Especially now, when, unfortunately, Europe does not have the capacity to generate a coherent and uniform policy towards Russia.
For some of the countries in the East, among which is Romania, the country I represent in the European Parliament, another cause of frustration regarding America's policy in the area is visa policy. Despite promises and the insistences of our country and of the European Union, a decision in accord with the needs and expectations of the Romanian citizens has not been taken. Many Romanians are wondering, with good reason, why are they being discriminated against in this situation, when the soldiers of both our countries have fought together, and are fighting and dying together in Afghanistan and Iraq.
I believe that many of these perplexities and frustrations would not have emerged had there been an effort to explain the decision on behalf of Washington, or if things had been more transparent. Nobody wishes the antagonism and isolation of Russia. However, history makes us suspicious about these cases.
This episode proves, once again, how important the transatlantic bond is, particularly the special liaison that the East European countries have with the USA. In time, as the European construction becomes more and more solid and clear, our uncertainty towards Russia will diminish, helped by, we hope, a more profound democratisation of our neighbour from the East. Until then, the anti-missile shield would have made us feel more secure.
