EU: EUROPEAN LEADERS STRUGGLE TO STRIKE A CHORD ON THE 'MUSIC OF THE FUTURE'.

The fact is that it became glaringly apparent as successive speakers took the stand that the 'crisis of identity' facing the European Union is above all a 'crisis of confidence' in the future. A crisis of confidence fuelled by concerns and uncertainties generated by globalisation and by the feeling that Europe's institutions are somehow powerless to protect the EU's citizens by offering appropriate answers. Many speakers suggested this sentiment is unfair, notably one non-European observer, American professor Andrew Moravcsik who in some senses argued that the European Union is a success but that its citizens are not really aware of the fact. Whence the need to press forward in re-conquering the legitimacy of the European approach which, foreign policy chief Javier Solana insisted, can no longer be based on "the memory of the Second World War". "We need to tell citizens what Europe does to respond to their expectations and also what it would cost them if the European Union did not exist", the EU's CFSP High Representative added.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso insisted that national representatives "have a responsibility to demonstrate how the European dimension is good, indispensable and unavoidable". Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende acknowledged the need to...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT