The meeting of the heads of state and government of the European Union, which lasted for a record five days, showed that it is bursting at all the seams. Small wealthy countries in Western and Northern Europe have revolted, not wanting to donate money to the poorer.
This angered Italy and Spain, which have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Poland and Hungary have their reasons for dissatisfaction. It is unlikely that the EU will collapse from all this, but it will have to go through big shocks. There is no need to talk about any European unity today.
On July 1, the presidency of the European Union passed to Germany. And it is quite logical that Chancellor Angela Merkel, together with her longtime ally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, tried to immediately take the bull by the horns and deal with the problems that had accumulated during the coronavirus pandemic to the maximum. No one harbored illusions that everything would be simple. However, in reality, everything turned out to be much more complicated. And the catch arrived in time from where they did not expect.
The stumbling block was the EU budget and the plan for economic recovery after a pandemic of 750 billion euros. Seriously affected by the infection, Italy and Spain were counting on large sums. However, the richest EU countries – the Netherlands, Austria, Sweden and Denmark – had a completely different opinion. Finland joined them during the meeting. They cannot be classified as large states, but they are all among the donor states of the European Union, which means that they have considerable weight in it.
Initially, it was assumed that out of 750 billion, two thirds (500 billion) will fall on gratuitous aid, and another third will be loans. However, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in a harsh manner demanded that it should be exclusively about loans. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was almost as adamant. As a result, a compromise was found: 390 billion will go to gratuitous aid, and another 360 billion – on loans. But finding a solution took a record five days. So this compromise cannot be called otherwise than tortured.
Another decision concerned a seven-year budget, which totaled slightly more than a trillion euros. Here again, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte was the main news provider. To a large extent, with his submission, the financing of individual states was tied to such principles as adherence to European laws and values, as well as the fight against global warming. The dissatisfied showed up here too.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban did not hesitate in terms of his Dutch counterpart. During the discussion, he stated that if a solution cannot be found, “it will be the fault of the guy from the Netherlands”. And such harsh words are understandable. Indeed, in recent years, it is Hungary and Poland that have been criticized for departing from the EU principles in the form of refusal to accept refugees, encroachment on the principle of separation of powers and a number of other actions that most EU states perceive as a departure from democracy.
And after all, disputes over the budget and the recovery plan are by no means all that the European Union argues about. For example, the topic of migration was not particularly raised at this meeting. Meanwhile, more and more waves of refugees are already taking over the Greek islands. Sooner or later (rather sooner), the same Greece, as well as Italy and Spain, which are the first to host boats with migrants, will raise the issue of their redistribution. And here, too, heated debates will begin.
There is also no agreement about the policy towards Russia. On the one hand, there are vehemently anti-Russian Poland and the Baltic countries. On the other hand, Italy, Hungary and Cyprus would like to lift all sanctions as soon as possible. As for relations with the United States, here too there are countries that are more pro-American (like Poland, Romania or Holland) and more independent (say, France or Austria). The same can be said about China, Africa, Latin America… Someone is more interested in each of the directions, someone less…
But these disputes are still ahead, and the discussion of two financial documents was quite enough to state the lack of unity of the European Union. Moreover, this is the case when the motivation of each of the disputants is clear and logical, each is right in his own way, each has good reason to behave harshly, not taking into account the opinion of the EU partner. And therefore, the leadership of the European Union and the German presidency, which are forced to seek a compromise most of all, cannot be envied.
Italy and Spain (partly France and Belgium) have been hit hard by the coronavirus. They very much counted on solidarity from more prosperous states, but Germany itself did not show it. The Germans did a good job inside the country, the situation was even better in Austria and Denmark. But they “forgot” to send help to the Italians and Spaniards in time. As a result, the countries of Southern Europe got out on their own, and Russia, China, Cuba helped them… In general, anyone, just not those who should do it in the first place.
However, the Dutch, Austrians, Swedes and Danes can also be understood. Their economies are more resilient and perform better than the inhabitants of the South and East of Europe. They are already contributing significant sums to the EU budget and are tired of playing the role of donors endlessly. Moreover, in the case of Sweden, she herself has to cope with the dire consequences of the virus. For their part, Austria, Denmark and Finland can say that they should be taken as an example – in any case, their picture of morbidity and mortality looks very good.
With regard to linking funding with adherence to EU norms, Hungary and Poland are understandable. They perfectly see the consequences of the migration crisis and the failure of multiculturalism in other countries. They are not ready to introduce same-sex marriage. In the end, the supporters of the “strong state”, who do not really reckon with the principle of separation of powers, won there repeatedly in completely democratic elections. Therefore, their punishment for such things is a violation of democracy.
However, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte also has his own truth. Unlike his country, Poland and Hungary are not donors, but recipients of EU aid. When they joined the European Union, they committed themselves to following common European norms, including in matters of migration, human rights and the principle of separation of powers. And if they are unable to block these decisions in the EU authorities, let them blame themselves. The EU’s principles are quite transparent, and the risks could have been calculated in advance.
The disputes in Brussels have shown that the EU is simply mired in contradictions. The discussion of each serious topic invariably drags on, overgrown with scandals and squabbles. And it cannot be otherwise. Its member states are very different in terms of the level of economic development, mentality, labor discipline, and geographic preferences of foreign policy. And to bring everyone to a common “denominator” each time is worth a lot of effort.
Of course, as a result of the current disputes, the European Union will not fall apart. Nobody wants to follow the example of Great Britain yet. However, reluctance to leave does not mean that all contradictions will be resolved by themselves. They will come out every now and then. And as a result, the European Union simply will not be able to turn into an independent world center of power and play a more significant role in the world arena. And no alliance between Germany and France, as the two leading forces of the EU, can change this.
Therefore (whether the EU leadership likes it or not) Russia, the United States, China and many others will continue to build a dialogue with the EU states separately. There is no other way today, given the endless disputes in the European Union.
Vadim Trukhachev, VZGLYAD