History doesn’t stop” “

The post-Brussels debate continues to rage. SIR has sounded out various views on the failure of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) held in the Belgian capital on 12/13 December and the failure to approve the constitutional Treaty for the EU. COMECE “Adopting a constitutional Treaty for the EU is of fundamental importance for the good of all the citizens of the Union. The fact that it proved impossible for the IGC to achieve this agreement emphasises the importance of this challenge. No result is preferable to an agreement based on the lowest common denominator. Member states need more time to reach a positive conclusion. This task should be concluded with the aim of promoting the common good of the European Union. We trust that the next semesters of the revolving EU Presidency will find ways of defining a treaty that may guarantee the foundations for an enlarged community, by acting in such a way that the common good may be achieved, and also by favouring the involvement of all citizens in the democratic process of the European Union” (Msgr. Noël Treanor, general secretary of COMECE, Conferences of the Episcopates of the European Union). Italy “The failure to approve the Treaty for the European Constitution has aroused dismay and bitterness. We must not despair: the history of Europe is full of slowdowns and standstills; no steps backward have ever been taken, so this time too we have reason to believe that the process can be resumed, perhaps on the basis of a renewed commitment by the founding countries. Nor has the hope been dashed that it may prove possible to finalise the Constitution prior to the renewal of the Parliament in Strasbourg: by bringing the Union’s institutions closer to citizens and involving them more directly in the process of Community integration itself, Europeans would be given a greater incentive to vote. We continue to hope that article 51 of the draft Constitution may be confirmed and a reference to the Christian roots inserted” (Msgr. Giuseppe Merisi, auxiliary bishop of Milan, delegate of the Italian Bishops’ Conference to COMECE). France “The failure of the IGC is grave. French President Chirac has revived the idea of the Europe of the pioneers, in other words, of a strong nucleus of nations that may sustain the process of integration: the idea is welcome, but why have all these years been lost? Now the EU is in an impasse: will the future Irish Presidency have the necessary boldness to overcome it?” (Charles Haegen, journalist, EU expert of “L’ami du peuple”, diocesan weekly of Strasbourg). Germany “The failure of the IGC represents a grave setback in the process of the unification of Europe, and this is because the text of the Constitution would have raised the democratic legitimization of the European institutions and their capacity to act on the political level. The draft established the bases for a society of European citizens, while at the same time guaranteeing the rights of Christians and of the Churches both in the individual member states and at the European level. What in our view was lacking in the draft was recognition of our responsibility towards God and humanity, and a clear declaration on the spiritual and historical foundations of Europe. Apart from the legacy of antiquity and the history of liberty in the Western countries, Europe is essentially founded on the tradition of Judaeo-Christian faith. One cannot help wondering whether the negotiations on the European Constitution failed also due to the lack of sufficient consciousness of Europe’s spiritual identity. That’s why the Christians of the European Union are called to participate more actively in the debate on the Constitution” (Hans Joachim Meyer, chairman of the Central Committee of German Catholics, Zdk). Slovakia “The failure of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) has shown up the splits between EU member states. But if on the one hand this causes the deferment of fundamental questions for Europe, on the other it offers time – we hope enough – to find a viable solution. We in Slovakia think we won’t enter the Europe that Adenauer, Schumann, De Gasperi and the other founding fathers had dreamt of, and not even the Europe with which we conducted our entry negotiations. We are entering a Europe that still needs to be constructed and verified in its intentions, but we’re ready to make our own contribution. If a risk does exist, now, it is that of the re-emergence of a kind of euro-scepticism which I hope will be swept away by the efforts of the member states to seek and find a solution: the solution that Europe failed to find in Brussels last week” (Marian Gavenda, spokesman of the Slovak Episcopal Conference). Cyprus “The failure to find an agreement at the recent IGC in Brussels ought not, I think, to lead us to speak of an irreversible crisis. It think it is rather a crisis ‘of growth’. I trust in the good will of governments to solve those problems that doomed the IGC to failure. We’ll now see what happens with the next semesters of the revolving Presidency, beginning with the Irish one. Meanwhile, in Cyprus, we are playing our part. Something positive did in any case come out of the IGC, namely the position of Europe on the reunification of Cyprus. Elections in the Northern zone of Cyprus, the one governed by Turkey, were held last Sunday. From the ballot [ not yet completed at the time of the declaration] it would seem that the opposition party has a slight advantage. We’ll now see whether the two parties will find a compromise or whether the army will make its pressure felt. The opposition has always said that it wants to reunify the island and that it is favourable to Kofi Annan’s plan. This could give an impulse to the entry into the EU of the whole of Cyprus. Let’s wait and see: policy is made not of words but facts.” (Father Umberto Barato, Latin Vicar of Nicosia, Cyprus). Greece “I’m not surprised by this failure, I expected it. On the other hand, how can we construct a Europe merely on the basis of money and the economy, forgetting the founding values of Europe, those testified by Christians like De Gasperi, Adenauer, Schumann…? We’ll never construct Europe if we don’t reflect on these values and if the Christian tradition is squandered or worse still deliberately forgotten. The hope is that this time of reflection, which the European Union has before it, will serve to meditate on the mistakes made and find the right political solutions and a consensus respectful of the human and spiritual dignity of man. Founding Europe merely on economic and material values means certain failure and its disintegration within the next few years”. (Msgr. Nikolaos Foskolos, president of the Greek Episcopal Conference). Slovenia “It’s not a catastrophe. Perhaps we expected too much from this Intergovernmental Conference. It was thought that a solution was within our grasp, but that wasn’t so. Diverging interests once again showed too many splits among the member states. The next six months of the Irish Presidency must represent a privileged time for reflection to find new solutions and ideas. We need to learn to think together… Time is needed, but without succumbing to pessimism or scepticism: the process of European enlargement and integration has progressed too far to be able to turn back. Europe is an irreversible process so long as it is focuses on values that are not just material and economic”. (Father Janez Grill, director of the publishing house of the Catholic weekly ‘Druzina’, former spokesman of the Slovene bishops). Spain (1) “The Spanish Episcopal Conference has not taken any official position on this question. Personally I think that the failure to reach agreement at the recent summit in Brussels is to be judged negatively. All the same, the hope remains that the pause for thought we now have before us have will serve for profound reflection on the need for Europe to be founded on values that are not just economic and monetary but also those that derive from the Judaeo-Christian heritage and that we would have liked to be cited in the Preamble [to the Constitution]. For they are the only values that can unify the peoples in a strong sense of community and fuse the European Union together” ( Msgr. Juan Antonio Martínez Camino, general secretary of the Spanish Episcopal Conference). Spain (2) “The recognition of the Christian heritage of the peoples of Europe is a matter of rigour and justice. It is curious that the position contrary of the recognition of Christianity in the European Constitution has come from French culture, shortly after the celebrations in honour of king Clodovic, a Christian king who is considered the architect of the European world. This opposition of France and other countries is politically counter-productive. Eliminating the Christian reference means building Europe over a void. I think that the situation of the Franco-German axis is of such importance as to be able to compromise the construction of the future of Europe. Either Europe is a Union in which all countries feel at their ease from the point of view of criteria and opinions, or it risks becoming something else, i.e. if it is assumed it can be constructed by the imposition of two strong countries over the rest of the European Community. It could become an amalgam of countries without too many things in common but not a ‘union’. This position may frustrate the project of a Europe great in common sentiment and cohesion, i.e. the Europe of Maritain, Schuman and Adenauer, those dreamers of European construction based fundamentally on spiritual values and not just on the temporal interests that are now predominant” (José Tomás Raga, Professor of Economics at the Complutense University – Madrid). Poland (1) “We cannot be happy about the failure of the Intergovernmental Conference in Brussels. Nonetheless we need to be conscious of the need for compromise. From the information I have received I can say that the Polish delegation had some projects to discuss, aimed at facilitating the implementation of the Nice accords. Unfortunately the intransigence of some delegations made everything more difficult. Good will and capacity for sincere dialogue are needed. Poland is a country very amenable to dialogue after 50 years of dictatorship. I am convinced that a solution can only be found on the basis of profound dialogue and transparent relations. We must learn to listen to each other in respect for the various sensibilities of the countries of Europe. A view of Europe cannot be imposed by some to the detriment of others. The Christian values themselves, which I hope will be cited in the text of the European constitutional Treaty, are values of respect and human promotion shared by many” (Msgr. Henryk Muszynski, bishop of Gniezno, delegate of the Polish Episcopal Conference to COMECE). Poland (2) “The failure of the Intergovernmental Conference to reach an agreement in Brussels must induce prudence. According to what one reads in the papers, the debate will now continue during the six months’ Irish Presidency. A deeper reflection can only serve to overcome the rocks on which the IGC foundered. It could be the right time to re-propose those founding values that derive from the Judaeo-Christian heritage. So it is possible that some countries may change position and make an agreement less difficult. We need to wait and see” (Msgr. Kaszak Grzegorz, Rector of the Pontifical Polish Ecclesiastical Institute in Rome).