The Commission crosses the line…

(BRUSSELS2)  “The European perspective is evident in the [Eastern Partnership] process” according to European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, answering a question from journalists during the daily briefing on Monday (2 December). A " evidence which must have startled more than one diplomat!

Red line crossed at light speed

This is a veritable red line from which the European Commission seems to have freed itself. For some Member States, there is absolutely no question of a “European perspective” for the Eastern Partnership countries. This is particularly the case for France (Details on the club: The European perspective: a red line!). "I don't see any ambivalence" nevertheless insisted the spokesperson. “But each country has a history that we will take into account” she insisted.

Comments (NGV): we knew the ardent partisan Commission to resume an enlargement process that is running out of steam. The integration of all the Balkan countries, to which however a very clear perspective of European integration had been opened up in the 2000s, is difficult. This stubbornness is certainly commendable in a certain sense. But it is important to take care not to confuse two organisations: the Council of Europe, which unites all the countries of the continent around certain values, and the European Union, which integrates some of them more closely. We must also bear in mind certain realities. With the Balkan countries, Europe should have 34 states. There has to be a time to set a limit. The belief in deeper European integration is now increasingly fragile in some countries (not just the UK). And believing that the entry of new countries will be able to reunite the European peoples is a real bet on the future. There is a moment when a brick, even a light one, on a weakened building, can make it falter in its entirety...