European Unity ? - EU Summit Reveals a Paralyzed Continent

VEN ZE DREM VIL FINALI COM TRU ?

A review of the most recent EU-Summits by the German Magazine Der Spiegel  shows some disturbing developments whereby national interests seem to prevail over the common good.

"The haggling is in full swing at this hour -- North against South, rich countries against poor ones, German Chancellor Angela Merkel against French President François Hollande. They're stuck on a word, one that would normally have a beautiful, positive sound: common. The word "common" is dividing Europe. This is what it has come to in this night of hard-fought negotiations.

For more than six hours now, the leaders of the European Union have been meeting in Brussels to discuss the future. They are here to agree on a document, and according to item 12 of that paper, there is to be a "common backstop" for the new banking union, a sort of shared resolution fund for worst-case scenarios. Germany wants the word "common" deleted. So do Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

France wants to keep the word in the document, as do Italy, Spain and Portugal. The northern countries are afraid that they'll be asked to pay even more than they already do, while the south is hoping for more shared responsibility in the crisis. The dispute continues for three-quarters of an hour. The northern countries win the fight and the word "common" is stricken from the closing statement of the most recent EU summit."

This happened on Dec. 13 and 14, during a meeting of the European Council, the powerful EU body consisting of all 27 heads of state and government. They meet behind closed doors, and not even their closest staff members are allowed to attend. During these discussions, secrecy is normally paramount. But as of the last one, that no longer applies.

As to the Van Rompuy's proposal for deeper political integration - "Most of it is science fiction," German State Secretary Link says dismissively at the luncheon in Brussels, referring to the first Van Rompuy document.

At a December 17 meeting in the headquarters of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union party Mrs Merkel  reports that she under the impression that Hollande is trying to obstruct everything she proposes between now and the German parliamentary election. Hollande currently has more allies than she does, she says, which is why cooperation isn't quite working yet. But she's doing her best to gather more allies for Germany, she adds.

Der Spiegel concludes: "It sounds a little like the days when there were still wars in Europe."

Read more: EU Summit Reveals a Paralyzed Continent - SPIEGEL ONLINE