European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso fulminated against perceived Polish and British efforts to stymie European integration today, according to the International Herald-Tribune. Barroso warned Poland to expect a “backlash” from other EU countries if it stands in the way of a proposed agreement to replace the European Constitution that was rejected by voters in France and The Netherlands last year. Germany, who holds the rotating presidency of the European Union and appears determined to move forward with a deal, has been at odds with the Poles on relations with Russia and has been quite aggressive in indicating that, should Poland and other Eastern European countries seek to block the proposed agreement, they would face financial repercussions when EU nations meet to discuss the allotment of ‘Social Cohesion’ and other funding next year. Great Britain was also targeted for less harsh criticism. Both the UK and Eastern European member states have historically be proponents of “widening” the European Union by including more members. The states of Central Europe, particularly France and Germany but also the BENELUX countries (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxemburg) have generally been more supportive of “deepening” the EU. Poland, for its part, is substantially more conservative than many EU members and is wary of Europe “imposing” social reforms on Poland.
Why is this important? It has long been feared by foreign policy analysts, most memorably Henry Kissinger in his 1994 book Diplomacy that the vagaries of building Europe will cause European countries to turn inward and away from foreign policy efforts, like the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the threat of Iran and the situation in Iraq.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/19/news/union.php
