Why the EU is dragging its feet: An ex-Ambassador’s lament - by Pavel Telicka
Crisis, what crisis? The deadlock over Europe's constitutional treaty may mean the EU is dragging its feet a bit, but it still works, its institutions continue to function, laws go on being enacted, decisions taken and fines imposed. We could be doing much better, of course, and clearly we need a new treaty. But crisis is a too strong word, and anyway its not the signal to send to the European public at large.
Today's politicians all declare their commitment to EU policies, but how genuine is this when negotiations within the Council are so dominated by national interests? How often does positive and determined political statement by an EU member government go unmatched by its own deeds? The reality is that EU countries' diplomats in Coreper − the permanent negotiating forum for the EU-27 − are often given inflexible negotiating positions that put the national interest above all else. In short, the Union's member states have become more nationally-oriented than in years past and seem increasingly preoccupied by their own internal problems. Shaky domestic politics and the hypnotic effects of opinion polls mean that in quite a few EU countries events back home can carry more weight than the EU agenda.
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