HURDLES THE E.U. MUST GET OVER
By Muhsin Abay

Turkish Press
March 28 2007

TURKIYE- Although the European Union has racked up many
accomplishments, it now faces a number of problems awaiting
resolution. The bloc’s art of achievements for the past 50 years
doesn’t guarantee its future success.

The members of the EU are trying to develop a European society unified
by common values, and a way of living. But they haven’t agreed on
the common values in question.

There is a strange faction envisioning ‘a sterile Europe’ divorced
from religion and decency.

Last year’s Muhammed cartoon crisis was the result of this situation.

They say that they did this in the name of freedom of speech, but
they don’t tolerate Muslims expressing themselves.

Many others think that Christianity is in the essence of their common
values. They extend the borders of Europe as far as Christianity
goes. In the long term, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia and Georgia seemed
to be included in its borders. With certain arrangements, they are
even seeking ways for Lebanon to join.

On the other hand, they have been trying to find thousands of reasons
to exclude Turkey, which is still carrying out negotiations and in the
middle of the enlargement area. This fact lies under the all issues put
forth to Turkey such as absorption capacity, cultural harmonization,
the Cyprus issue, etc.

When it comes to human rights and democracy, supporters of both
‘sterile Europe’ and ‘Christian Europe’ say that everyone is equal.

But, in fact, they always hold themselves one rank higher.

This is in no way pluralism or democracy. But one day they will
overcome this problem.

We Muslims have many things to do to help them with this. We should
help them as good examples.

The EU’s other basic issue lies in its decision-making mechanism.

While keeping the identities of the separate member states, the bloc
should have a democratic structure which makes effective decisions
and puts them into effect. If it can’t do this, it will lose cohesion
even more, or even freeze up.

Europe should move quickly to fill cover its democratic vacuum. The
European Parliament, the bloc’s only directly elected organ, today
seems like window dressing. The real authority is held by the
unelected European Commission. The final word rests with European
summit of 27 leaders led by powerhouse leaders such as Germany,
France, and Britain…

Although the EU is the world’s largest trading bloc, it has not been
able to develop structures to boost its diplomatic influence. It
couldn’t formulate common foreign and security policies. With its
current 27 member states, and tomorrow 30 or more, the bloc, in
its new borders, can be an organized power speaking and acting in
lockstep. This depends on the governments’ acceptance of the end of
the era of absolute national sovereignty. In other words, it depends
on them giving up their sovereignty to some extent, to leaving behind
deep-rooted hostility and assumptions of superiority, and to unify
their powers within the framework of democratic freedom.