Select a language
According to certain sources, the shouting could be heard outside in the corridor during this week's session of the European Council. Nicolas Sarkozy and José Manuel Barroso are reported to have engaged in a "heated exchange" on the subject of France's expulsion of thousands of Roma and the subsequent threat by EU justice commissioner Viviane Reding to pursue the matter before the Court of Justice of the European Union.
The French president,already rebuked by the European Parliament on September 9, has clearly chosen to confront the European institutions head-on. He has thus questioned the legitimacy of the right of expression of the members of the European Parliament and attacked Luxembourg, Viviane Reding's country of origin. In refusing to allow the commission to exercise its enforcement role regarding European treaties, French authorities have dealt yet another blow to the integrity of the Union, an unwelcome turn of events, to say the least.
Last spring, Germany imposed its own conditions on the bailout package for Greece, leaving lingering doubts about the resilience of the euro. Now France is acting as if member states can ignore the established rules and act on their own, without the need to verify that such actions respect the rights and common values of the 27 and other European Community institutions.
Nearly a year after the ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon, which should have marked the beginning of a new era for the EU, the very countries that did everything to have it adopted, in some cases against the wishes of their own citizens, are now acting as if the European Union no longer embodies the political and judicial framework in which our continent has operated since the end of the Second World War.
Out of this summit meeting, during which the question of the Roma engendered yet another of the useless and violent crises that punctuate political life, has come a communiquéconcerning European diplomacy, strategic partnerships, as well as reflections on the topic of economic governance. All of these points represent topics of such importance that the assembled heads of state will no doubt have too little time to explore them in depth.
We are indeed far from the end of the era of national self-interest.
Eric Maurice
Do you like our work?
Help multilingual European journalism to thrive, without ads or paywalls. Your one-off or regular support will keep our newsroom independent. Thank you!
