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EU at 50 unsure what to be when it grows up
European Commission Vice-President Margot Wallstrom said this week, comparing the EU to a "jigsaw puzzle" put together piece by piece without a master plan. Opinion polls suggest this sense of hurtling toward an unknown destination is one reason why the EU's popularity has fallen in many member states, along with perceptions that it is too remote, bureaucratic, cosmopolitan and business-friendly.
Yet the EU is far from paralyzed, despite what Italian Economy Minister Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa calls a melancholy mood. Its leaders last week unanimously adopted an ambitious plan on climate change, energy efficiency and green fuels, claiming world leadership in the fight against global warming. But unanimity rules have slowed moves to build a common foreign and security policy and tackle immigration and crime. Newcomers Cyprus and Poland have used their vetoes to block negotiations with Turkey and Russia, highlighting doubts about the ability of such a heterogeneous bloc to function.
If EU leaders can salvage key reforms in the constitution and either win or avoid another round of referendums, the Union may be able to overcome doubts over its future. If not, former Commission President Jacques Delors warned in a Reuters interview, it could unravel within 20 years.
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