Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki complained about the reign of the political inequality in the European Union,
According to him, Germany and France show themselves as oligarchs of Europe, ignoring the interests of other member states.
"Political processes indicate that the position of Germany and France is more important than others. So, officially we are facing a democracy, but in reality we are facing an oligarchy where the powerful have significant power," said Moravetski.
The minister also emphasized that the political equality between countries only worked in the official document of a statement.
In his comments to Eurasia Diary, Mark Finaud, head of ‘Arms Proliferation’ and ‘Diplomatic Tradecraft’Geneva Centre for Security Policy, said that Germany and France are considered the main actors playing an important role in the determination of the political and economic affairs of the European Union.
“The process of unification of Europe that led to the creation of the European Union was based on reconciliation between France and Germany, which had been at war three times in 75 years. It can only be effective if both countries agree on the essential decisions for the functioning of the Union. But this requires constant discussion and negotiation when the interests of both countries are different, which makes the position of the other Member States so important to forge majorities or consensus”.
Mark Finaud reject claims that Berlin and Paris pose the challenges to the political equality among the member countries, as well ensuring strong and full democracy in the continent.
“Even if France and Germany are considered as economically and politically powerful, they cannot impose their will to the rest of the EU, hence the need for democratic engagement and compromise, taking into account the interests of all Member States and the Union as a whole. This can be translated into majority votes in the Council made possible by the EU institutions as well as the expression of diversity of views among the European people in the European Parliament”.
According to him, the solution of the main important tasks in the promotion of the security and foreign policy of the European Union depends upon the will of not only Germany and France, but also of all member countries.
“From the start, it was considered that security and foreign policy was too important for national sovereignty to rely on majority votes. This is why it is an area that is governed by the search for consensus or unanimity. For instance, according to the Treaty on the European Union (art. 42 §2), moving from the current common defence policy to a higher degree (common defence) would require the approval of all Member States”.
At the end, Mark Finaud commented on the issue that all member countries could have potential to play a essential role in ensuring secrity of the EU.
"This will depend on the evolution of threats and challenges in the coming years. If they result from the continuous actions and pressure from Russia, Member States in the North or East of Europe such as Poland, the Baltic or Scandinavian States will play a decisive role. If challenges come mainly from the South (Mediterranean, Middle East, terrorism, uncontrolled migration, climate or energy crisis), Member States such as Spain or Italy may play a leading role".
Yunis Abdullayev
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