Multi- speed Europe is the only option for EU to move forward
“Multi- speed Europe” is the most realistic scenario for the European Union ( EU) if the bloc wants to demonstrate the benefits of integration and thus regain citizens’ trust in EU institutions, experts told Xinhua in the run- up to the 60th anniversary of the EU’s founding treaty.
European Commission President Jean- Claude Juncker, on March 1, unveiled a White Paper laying out five scenarios for the EU’s remaining 27 member states after Britain leaves the bloc.
The third scenario “Those Who Want More Do More,” envisaging a selection of willing member states doing more together in specific areas, is widely deemed as a route heading for a “multi- speed Europe,” although the White Paper shirked from naming it directly.
Leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain have voiced their support for “multi- speed Europe” earlier this month during an informal meeting in the versailles. The idea is also backed by Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, or the so- called Benelux, a group of the EU’s founding members.
However, some eastern member states fear “multispeed Europe” could deepen divisions to their disadvantage.
The EU- 27 leaders are due to meet on Saturday in Rome to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and hammer out a declaration on EU’s future.
In an interview with Xinhua, Shada Islam, director of policy at Brussels- based think tank Friends of Europe, argued that “multi- speed Europe” is the most realistic scenario for the EU.
“If the EU countries are going to move forward, this will have to be at different speed,” she said, “this is inevitable because we are not all at the same level of development and we have different concerns.”
“Our governments are not all of the same political color and they don’t have all the same interests,” she added.
Regarding areas in which EU member states are likely to do more, Islam singled out the security and defense sector, saying it’s in many countries’ favor.
On the other side, she expected that EU institutions would curtail some power and transfer them to member states, saying “I would like to see a little bit of repatriations of power: less power in Brussels, more in cities and regions.”
Guntram Wolff, Director of the Brussels- based think tank Bruegel, also reckons that the EU will likely head for “several levels of integration.”
“I do think we will see more differentiation across the EU and this means several levels of integration. We will see in some areas further advancement, but we will also experience that some responsibilities will be given back to the member states,” he said.
Admitting the EU integration is now facing a slew of challenges, Islam stressed that the bloc has made striking achievements in the past 60 years.
“We had a very significant single market, this is a big achievement of the EU. People are able to travel and work wherever they want,” Islam said.
“We have a single currency and we are working quite effectively to boost certain aspects that are missing from the EU monetary union project. We had enlargement and we brought former eastern block countries into the EU,” she further illustrated. But she warned against distancing the EU institutions from the people.
“But people don’t realize enough how far Europe has gone in the last 60 years, maybe the story of Europe hasn’t been told with enough conviction to persuade people that this is up to now a very successful project,” she lamented, adding that there is a disenchantment with the EU institutions that are seen as quite remote and disconnected from the real aspirations of people.
“The integration process is no longer seen as inevitable and irreversible,” she said, attributing this partly to the eurozone crisis and Brexit.
Echoing Islam, Wolff said, “the slow resolution of eurozone problems has aggravated the economic situation in Eu- rope, and that has certainly contributed to the fact that parts of the population in many countries felt very disillusioned about Europe.”
“Compared to the challenges we are facing in some areas, we probably do not have the appropriate tools to deal with them. The migration crisis and also some aspects of the eurozone crisis are the proof that we repaired some parts but not others, and the architecture is still incomplete.” he explained.
However, Islam underscored that people should cut the EU some slack.
“Here in Europe, we always focus on what is going wrong. But if you look at any other country in the world, every leader faces a multitude of different crises, so we are not exceptional but we talk about them a lot,” she said.