UK, France clash on future EU vision

EU leaders have agreed to set up a reflection group of ‘wise’ people to help shape the bloc’s long-term future, but divergences over the group’s mandate have emerged right from the start.

Former Spanish premier Felipe González Márquez was appointed to chair the new group, along with two deputies – former Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga and the former chief executive officer of Finnish electronics group Nokia, Jorma Ollila. Nine other members will be selected from across the Union “on the basis of merit”, according to a joint statement issued on 14 December by EU heads of state and government. 

According to the same document, the task of the group will be to “help the Union anticipate and meet challenges more effectively in the longer term (2020-2030)”. 

The initial idea for the group came from French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who wanted its mandate to focus on defining Europe’s final borders – in what most considered an attempt to block Turkey’s efforts to join the EU. 

In the end, the mandate was adjusted to account for more pro-Turkey EU nations and UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown hailed the creation of the committee, which he said would focus on the “economic, environmental and security challenges of the future”. 

However, speaking in an adjacent room, Sarkozy insisted the text did not rule out a debate on the bloc’s frontiers. 

“The issue for the ‘wise men’ group will be to think about the possibility of a new European dream […] and in this new European dream, the question of borders will inevitably be posed – if not, maybe at first, simply the question of Turkey, but that of […] whether Europe should set itself borders or whether it should it enlarge indefinitely,” the French leader said, warning that “the more we enlarge Europe, the more difficult it will become to integrate”. 

Other member states nevertheless appeared to support the British view of the mandate, including Czech European Affairs Minister Alexandr Vondra, who insisted: “EU enlargement, institutional reforms and financial issues are not within this group’s mandate.” 

However, newspapers in Turkey and Spain are labelling the nomination of González to head the group as a victory of stealth for Sarkozy, citing the former Spanish leader voicing his scepticism about incorporating Turkey into Europe – due to large social and cultural differences – in a May 2004 ‘Universal Forum of Cultures’ in Barcelona. 

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband, on the other hand, said it was “extremely partial” to describe Gonzalez as being against Turkey’s EU membership. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan responded to Sarkozy’s statements by saying: “Accession is full of obstacles and there are some in the EU that wish to see Turkey drop its endeavour out of frustration. But our process leaves no space for impulsive behaviour and emotional reactions.” Nevertheless, he warned: “Let it be known that our reaction will be of a different nature if we encounter any attempts to erode Turkey’s eventual membership status.” 

The reflection group is due to present its report to the European Council meeting in June 2010. 

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