Entry into "modernity"” “

The entry of ten new states into the European Union on 1st May has been welcomed with enthusiasm also in Portugal. Nonetheless, some fears are not disguised. Portuguese Prime Minister Durão Barroso has in fact hitherto relied on European funds to support the revival of the country’s flagging economy. But these funds are expected to terminate after the entry of the new member states. Moreover, to reduce the public deficit within EU parameters, the government has had to drastically cut welfare expenditures: a policy that has encountered strong domestic opposition. May 1st, 2004 is a historic date for Europe and for the world. With the EU membership of ten new member states, the Union is beginning to reflect on the diversity of the continent. The dream so often invoked by John Paul II (we shall never emphasize enough his contribution to the realization of this dream) ever since the beginning of his pontificate, and that then seemed so remote, is beginning to become a reality: Europe must breathe with both its lungs. With this enlargement, and with those that will probably follow, any repetition of the national conflicts that have bedevilled the history of Europe and that, in the case of the Balkans, have persisted to the present day, is becoming ever more unlikely. Portugal joined the European Community eighteen years ago. Just like the new member states, it has always culturally belonged to Europe, but it remained sidelined at the beginning of the process of unification due to the institutional regime in power at the time. Its membership of the EU has significantly contributed to the consolidation and reinforcement of the democratic institutions and the growth of economic and social development (though not without difficulties, such as those from which the agricultural sector in particular is suffering). There are two perspectives from which a Portuguese may regard the membership of the new member states. The first is restricted to short-term national interests. From this point of view, it will be pointed out that these states, with levels of development lower than those of Portugal (indeed far lower than the European average), have had greater facility in channelling the aid of European funds for the development of poorer regions. They also enjoy an advantage in attracting foreign investments: they enjoy more central geographical positions and are able to rely on a skilled and cheap workforce. The second is a broader view, transcending Portugal’s particular interests. From this viewpoint, our country will benefit from the opportunities that are now being opened, with the emergence of an enlarged area for peaceful economic, social and cultural exchanges without precedent in history. Besides, it would hardly be right to deny to others the opportunities we have always claimed for ourselves. On the occasion of the accession of Portugal, Greece and Spain, the idea that the European Community was ceasing to be the “rich man’s club” it had been up till then began to take hold. With the new accessions, this idea is even more clearly gaining ground. The difference in economic and social development between the various member states is becoming ever more accentuated. The objective of overcoming these disparities represents a clear challenge to the expression of the spirit of solidarity that always inspired the founding “fathers” of the European project. The cultural impact of membership for the new member states may also find some parallel with what has taken place – and is still taking place – in Portugal. The membership of the EU represents for these countries, as it did for Portugal, a decisive step in the process of their entry into so-called “modernity”, with all the consequences, both positive (freedom, openness, creativeness, efficiency) and negative (secularism, hedonism, consumerism), that are normally associated with it. To ensure that the positive outweigh the negative aspects, it will be decisive that, as John Paul II observed in relation to the case of Poland, the peoples that are now joining the European Union do not just passively succumb to foreign influences, but themselves give to Europe what they have best to give, the values that still remain alive in them (and that the painful experience of their recent history has helped to consolidate): the “supplement of soul” that Europe so badly needs. Pedro Vaz Pato magistrate – lisbon