Vienna theatre stages high-level discussion on Europe

The EU: A model for the 21st century?

Opening the discussion, Anne-Marie Slaughter described the European Union as a political model for the 21st century. "Europe has found the formula for integration founded on three principles: social justice, sustainable development and tolerance," she said. However, she also tempered her otherwise upbeat assessment. "The EU is a unique platform for sovereign states, a model by which also Asia is inspired, but it does not understand itself. It is not able to make compromises. It still thinks in 20th century terms."

Although levels of optimism differed as to the EU's ability to find a common voice among its member states, speakers were unanimous on the need for Europe to take a bigger leadership role on the world stage.

"The use of military power is the best way to lose a leadership position and that is exactly what the USA did," argued George Soros. "The EU should now re-create what used to be called the West and include democracies form Latin America, Asia and Africa," he added.

According to Joschka Fischer, the question is whether the EU's current model of integration, based on consensus between an ever-growing number of member states, can still work in the future. "We must integrate our foreign policies and that will happen, I am sorry to say that, via the big member states," Fischer said. 

Fischer used Europe's tense relations with Russia as a way to illustrate his point. "The economic potential of the EU is 15 times bigger that that of Russia, our military power is bigger, but still, Russia is dividing the EU."

Karel Schwarzenberg, the only politician in office at the forum and a figure that many Austrians regard as a compatriot, had his own view about EU integration and relations with Russia. "We are not able to set the framework of things. We have achieved a lot, but we would have never been able to do that without Schicklgruber (surname of Hitler's paternal grandmother) and Josif Dzhugashvili (real name of J.V. Stalin)," he said, adding: "Putin will unite Europe again."

Enlargement and neighborhood policy

For more than two hours, the debate moved around the issue of enlargement and the EU's so-called 'neighbourhood policy'.

On relations with Kosovo, Schwarzenberg said "there is no good solution". The best that can be done is to integrate the Balkans into EU and NATO as quickly as possible, he said.

On enlargement, both Fischer and Slaughter expressed their desire to see Turkey join the EU. A negative response to Turkey would be "a mistake," Fischer said. "Turkey is key to the region. If it is not us, Russia and Iran are waiting with open arms," he remarked.

US presidential elections

Moving to the US election, Slaughter predicted that, if the next president is a Democrat, there will be a substantial shift in US foreign policy. He or she will close Guantanamo and cooperate more with Europe, she argued, adding that any Democratic or Republican administration would try to persuade everyone they are not G.W. Bush. 

However, Schwarzenberg questioned that view, saying that US foreign policy always shows a certain degree of consistency and stems from national interests. Therefore, he said he would not expect any dramatic changes.

For his part, Fischer  said the EU should take the opportunity presented by the US elections, and the following day should come up with concrete ideas for Washington about Afghanistan and other foreign policy issues. Otherwise, the EU will waste a unique opportunity to shape future developments on foreign relations, he warned.

Schwarzenberg, however, was less optimistic about the EU's ability to weigh in on world affairs. "By the year 2020, our role on the world stage will be diminished," he predicted, unless a major shock happens which forces the EU to cooperate further. "Europe is able to find common solutions only after big shocks," he said.

Joschka Fischer agreed with Schwarzenberg that Europe had always moved on after negative experiences. Common foreign policy was a result of what happened in the Balkans, he reminded. "The EU is potentially a big power, but the reality is different. We cannot overcome the 19th and early 20th century discrepancies," he said.

George Soros concluded with a mixed message: "If the EU still exists in 2020, it would certainly perform better."