Across the borders

The European Union has been addressing an increasing number of issues, reports and meetings, all marked by an international stance. The so-called “external dimension” is gaining ground and relevance. Almost every day, the EU leadership in Brussels points out that “global economies are ever-more interconnected” or that “the distance separating world regions has been greatly reduced”. These over-simplistic phrases serve to remind us that globalization is moving leaps forward and that Europe is part and parcel of this process.A number of recent events seem to confirm this trend: on November 3-4 the Foreign Ministers of the Barcelona Process-Union for the Mediterranean States convened in Marseilles to “translate into action the ambition of a reinforced Mediterranean partnership” launched in Paris past July 13. While a number of meetings, scheduled in the forthcoming days, have a distinctive extra-EU approach. On November 7 the heads of government and state of the 27 Member States will convene in Brussels to prepare the Washington summit on the global economic crisis scheduled for November 15; whereas the EU/Russia meeting on bilateral partnership – ranging from the Caucasus to energy supply – will take place on November 14.Indeed, this external dimension has different facets. The EU is actively committed in a number of international missions, some of which are strictly ‘civilian’ while others are definitely more ‘military’. It’s the case of Georgia, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo…Kosovo is linked to the Balkan issue, over which the Union has been investing much energy: Slovenia is already part of the “common home”, Croatia and Macedonia are “candidate” countries while others are drawing closer by means of association agreements. From the Balkans to “Turkey”, the other candidate country, with all that it represents, it’s a short step. The EU is present in the Holy Land to help define the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians. Its voice is heard in a number of world regions in need of humanitarian aid and development support (Darfur, Congo, the Far East…); it is stepping up relations with emergent countries, from China to India to Brasil and is promoting dialogue with Ukraine, Belarus and Moldavia for the establishment of democracy in these Countries. It must be acknowledged that the positive outcomes of the EU’s “international disposition” represent an occasional occurrence. This is partly due to the European Union’s historical limit: the lack of univocal foreign policy, i.e. a single voice enabling communication with other continents and States. Nonetheless, it is increasingly evident that since the end of the “Cold War” and the dismantled opposition of the American and Soviet blocs, the world has undertaken the path leading to a multi-polar dimension, thus increasing the importance of Europe. The latter does in fact represent the political cohesion of its 27 Member States along with institutional solidity, action capability and the will to become the ‘virtuous protagonist’ of the global scenario. This leads to an ever-greater awareness of the importance of a functional asset, starting from the reforms envisaged in the Lisbon Treaty. A world-stature “civil power” can’t be created overnight. Nonetheless, the “external” responsibilities awaiting Community Europe won’t be taken unless there are democratic inner regulations, founded on shared values, and capable of providing the EU with the appropriate tools enabling its response to the challenges – economy, migration, climate-environment, communication – coming from the other side of the border.