Divide et impera
ROME/BERLIN The German-French endeavors to establish hegemony, which are to be anchored in the draft of the European constitution, have been met with new resistance by several governments. Berlin tries to divide the group of critics and offers Spain - one of the most scathing adversaries of the constitutional draft - participation in the German plans for power. At the beginning of the month, Berlin indicated that Germany would leave Latin America to Spain's ,,sphere of influence", should Madrid agree to the intended distribution of power.
Particularly, the Spanish and Polish governments refuse to consent to the planned election process for the EU-Council of Ministers. In the future, majority decisions are to be valid when the consenting states represent at least 60 percent of the EU population. Germany will have 18.2 percent of the population after the expansion of the EU and France will have 13 percent, enabling them in combination with Italy, for example, to block any unpleasant decision; in contrast the Mediterranean states (Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Malta, Cyprus) would lose their veto power. An influential policy advisor comments that ,,Germany's power would double."
,,In the spirit of loyalty..."
The provisions for foreign and security policies in the constitutional draft are criticized as well. Article 15 states: ,,In the spirit of loyalty and mutual solidarity, the member states support the joint foreign and security policies of the EU actively and without reservation."According to the opinion of the Czech politician Jan Zahradil ,,this equals a prohibition against an independent foreign policy."Zahradil openly warns of an establishment of German hegemony: ,,To a certain extent, the constitution of the EU represents a return to the order of the Congress of Vienna of 1815, in other words, to a concert of the great powers. The constitution is certain to open great possibilities to dominate in Europe, not only for Germany but very definitely for the German-French tandem."
,,... and mutual solidarity":
A meeting which took place in the office of the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany ( ,,German-Spanish Forum") confirms that the Czech apprehensions have already become reality and that they impact not only Europe. Present were, among others, the German chancellor and the Spanish prime minister. They discussed a strategy paper by the Bertelsmann Foundation which, by promising participation in German plans for world domination, is to persuade Spain to give up its resistance.
,,Establishment of large regions"
,,To Spain as well as Germany", according to the offers of the Bertelsmann Foundation, ,,will fall a key role as mediators for large political, economic and cultural regions."Germany would have this ,,function (...) especially with regard to the Central and East European region, the GUS [Gemeinschaft Unabhängiger Staaten or Union of Independent States] and the Middle East", while Spain would have it ,,with regard to the Mediterranean region, the Arab world and Latin America". ,,The strategic and mutually agreed to establishment of relations with these large regions", it continues, are ,,of decisive significance for the future role of Europe as a player in global politics."
The German offer regarding ,,great regions"are a reminder of similar offers made by the German Reich which, particularly, included Spain and Italy in its pre-war plans for world domination.
Sources:
Deutsch-Spanisches ,,Europa"-Forum gegruendet. Deutschland und Spanien sollen euro-strategische Allianz bilden; Pressemitteilung der Bertelsmann-Stiftung 12.11.2002
Die Zukunft Europas gestalten. Deutschland und Spanien in der erweiterten Europaeischen Union; Reflexionspapier fuer das Zweite Deutsch-Spanische Forum, erstellt von der Bertelsmann Forschungsgruppe Politik, dem Centrum fuer angewandte Politikforschung Muenchen und der Bertelsmann Stiftung Guetersloh
In Europa stellt sich die Machtfrage; Welt am Sonntag 28.09.2003
Bundeskanzler Schroeder oeffnet seinen Amtssitz fuer das Deutsch-Spanische Forum; Pressemitteilung der Bertelsmann Stiftung 02.10.2003
,,Giscard hat erheblich manipuliert". Interview mit Jan Zahradil; Sueddeutsche Zeitung 04.10.2003