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European Integration in a Fragmenting World

Aug 23, 2022 Javier Solana

Javier Solana, a former EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, secretary-general of NATO, and foreign minister of Spain, is President of EsadeGeo – Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics and Distinguished Fellow at the Brookings Institution.

The European Union’s undeniable success in advancing regional integration does not make it a finished project. As threats to global stability increase, the EU must continue to pursue its strategic interests, as well as attend to the European ambitions and prospects of all the countries in its immediate neighborhood.

MADRID – Global stability is a fragile asset, as the war in Ukraine and heightened tensions over Taiwan have recently shown. In a world that is tearing itself apart, the European Union should make trust in the European project a top strategic priority. Against the backdrop of unfulfilled EU membership aspirations, other powers could exploit citizens’ frustration – as we are now seeing in the Western Balkans, where Russia is seeking to reassert its influence. More than ever, the Union must demonstrate that it is a useful and reliable partner for all European countries, regardless of their formal relationship with the EU. 

The present is a period of paradox for Europe. Despite a succession of severe convulsions, European integration has recently undergone a historic acceleration. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe two and a half years ago, practically all of the EU’s decisions have sought to strengthen member states’ political integration. Historically, the success of European integration has created the possibility, as well as the challenge, of enlarging the Union to include new members. The EU must continue to integrate, knowing that its vocation extends to the entire European continent. But, to guarantee its continuity, the EU will have to offer accession candidates new forms of participation that help to foster a feeling of belonging to the European project. In fact, the EU’s internal political integration and its enlargement to include other European countries are two historically inseparable processes. In a speech at the beginning of this century at the Humboldt University of Berlin, then-German Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer clearly explained the historical importance and difficulty of European integration. “The need to organize these two processes [the EU’s political integration and enlargement] in parallel is undoubtedly the biggest challenge the Union has faced since its creation,” Fischer said. “But no generation can choose the challenges it is tossed by history.” The EU will never renege on its longstanding commitment to extend its integration project to countries that show a clear willingness to join. Ukraine and Moldova – driven toward the Union by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s senseless war – were granted candidate status in June. And the EU’s recent decision to start formal pre-accession negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia could trigger a positive dynamic that strengthens Western Balkan countries’ ties with European institutions. Ukraine is part of Europe, and its citizens have repeatedly demonstrated their eagerness to become part of the EU. If the country meets the bloc’s entry requirements, there is no reason why it should not be admitted. To facilitate Ukraine’s integration process, the EU has a responsibility to assist in the country’s physical and political reconstruction from the ravages of Putin’s war. Researchers at the Kyiv School of Economics estimate that rebuilding Ukraine’s physical infrastructure alone will cost at least $100 billion. Clearly, reconstruction will have to be a collective effort. 

Today, with war on the EU’s borders, all options for deepening Europe’s political integration – and not only the Union’s enlargement – must be on the table. French President Emmanuel Macron, for example, has proposed a “European Political Community.” But, whatever name the new structure takes, it must create opportunities for cooperation with the EU, thereby making integration a tangible reality for candidate countries. Achieving this will require the EU to foster cooperation between candidate countries. While the Union’s current bilateral approach to accession candidates enables a separate assessment of each country’s membership prospects, it also risks turning enlargement into a predominantly competitive process. The EU must therefore offer non-members an ambitious and realistic regional integration model. Promises of eventual membership and the long negotiations that precede it will harm the Union if they generate frustration among candidate countries’ governments and citizens. North Macedonia, for example, had to wait too long – 17 years – between being granted candidate status and receiving the green light to start accession negotiations. Recognizing that there may be other formulas besides enlargement for integrating the European continent does not imply that this policy has been unsuccessful. Without the EU’s 2004 enlargement to Eastern Europe, the bloc would not be the commercial and regulatory power it is today. Successive enlargements have made the EU one of the world’s biggest economies, accounting for around 16% of global GDP (in purchasing-power-parity terms). But, in cases when enlarging the EU to extend the zone of European stability is not feasible for geographical or political reasons, the fundamental question for European policymakers has been what alternative instruments they could use. Ever since West German Chancellor Willy Brandt’s Ostpolitik established the basis for rapprochement between the West and the Soviet bloc in the late 1960s, establishing bonds of economic interdependence has been the main answer.

But such a strategy presupposes the existence of responsible geopolitical actors – and the main lesson of the Ukraine war is that Russia is currently not a responsible actor. Clearly, economic interdependence does not contribute to stability if it produces asymmetric dependencies that leave one party vulnerable in times of conflict. Europe will have to stop feeling vulnerable, and a lot will have to change in the Kremlin, before the EU can consider any formal relationship with Russia in the future. The EU’s undeniable success in advancing regional integration does not make it a finished project, or even one with a predetermined ending. But Europeans must remain on this path. Today, that means the EU must pursue its strategic interests while attending to the European ambitions and prospects of all the countries in its immediate neighborhood.

FOCUS WORDS

advanceспособствовать; приближать, ускорять; продвигаться
pursueпреследовать, продолжать, заниматься; искать, добиваться
attend toобращать внимание; уделять внимание
assetимущество; средства; активы; ценное качество, вклад
priorityприоритет
undergoподвергаться, испытывать, переносить
fosterпоощрять, воспитывать, благоприятствовать
triggerинициировать, вызывать, дать начало
tangibleматериальный, ощутимый, осязаемый
feasibleвозможный, осуществимый, выполнимый, вероятный
PREPOSITIONS
  1. success in
  2. threat to
  3. prospect of
  4. tension over
  5. regardless of
  6. paradox for 
  7. renege on
  8. belonging to
  9. option for
  10. opportunities for 
  11. approach to
  12. account for
  13. basis for
  14. contribute to 
  15. attend to

FLASHCARDS
SYNONYMS
VOCABULARY TEST

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS TRANSLATION

advance приоритет 
pursue возможный, осуществимый, выполнимый, вероятный
attend to инициировать, вызывать, дать начало 
asset способствовать; приближать, ускорять; продвигаться 
priority материальный, ощутимый, осязаемый
undergo преследовать, продолжать, заниматься; искать, добиваться 
foster обращать внимание; уделять внимание
trigger поощрять, воспитывать, благоприятствовать
tangible имущество; средства; активы; ценное качество, вклад
feasible подвергаться, испытывать, переносить 

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS DEFINITION

advance to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage
pursue capable of being done, effected, or accomplished, probable; likely
attend to a useful or valuable quality, item
asset to move or go forward; proceed; to increase in quantity, value, price; to improve or make progress; to grow or rise in importance, status
priority status established in order of importance or urgency 
undergo
to be subjected to; experience; to endure; sustain; suffer
fosterpay attention to; take seriously; to deal with smb/ smth
triggerthat can be touched, definite; not vague; clear
tangibleto initiate or precipitate; put in motion or move to act
feasibleto follow in order to overtake; to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish 

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS SYNONYMS

advance precedence
pursue material, physical, substantial, touchable, concrete, visible,
attend to follow, track, engage, participate
asset promote , encourage , cultivate, advance , nurture
priority cause, generate, produce, prompt, provoke, activate, incite
undergo belongings, holding, property, aid, benefit, resource, service
foster to experience; to endure; sustain; suffer
trigger move forward, proceed, go forward, continue, progress
tangible possible, doable, achievable, attainable, practicable, workable
feasible assist, take care of, look after

MATCH THE WORD WITH ITS COLLOCATIONS

advancechild/  development/ growth/  a sense of responsibility
pursueto provide/ for investment/ technically/ perfectly
attend tobusiness/ the needs/ demands/ interests
assetalarm/ produce/ development/ collapse/ destruction 
prioritywith caution/ your career/ through generations/ understanding/ negotiations
undergoa procedure/ an operation/ change/ training/ scrutiny
fostertreated as / considered as/ utmost/ highest
triggergoals/ targets/ improvement/ difference/ evidence
tangiblepublic/ private/ valuable/ allocate/ invest
feasiblea goal/ objective/  a policy/ a career

PREPOSITIONS

  1. success ___
  2. threat ___
  3. prospect ___
  4. tension ___
  5. regardless ___
  6. paradox ___
  7. renege ___
  8. belonging ___
  9. option ___
  10. opportunities ___
  11. approach ___
  12. account ___
  13. basis ___
  14. contribute ___ 
  15. attend ___

VOCABULARY NOTES
advance
способствовать; приближать,
ускорять; продвигаться
definition
to move or go forward; proceed; to increase in quantity, value, price; to improve or make progress; to grow or rise in importance, status

synonyms
move forward, proceed, go forward, continue, progress

collocations
advance [with caution, carefully, slowly]
advance in [your career, in the company]
advance through [time, the years, generations]
advance [humanity, society, the nation, your career][failed, efforts] to advance (the) [negotiations, talks]
advance the [understanding, development, cause] of
pursue
преследовать,
продолжать,
заниматься;
искать, добиваться
definition
to follow in order to overtake; to strive to gain; seek to attain or accomplish

synonyms
follow, track, engage, participate

collocations
to pursue a goal
to pursue an aim/objective
to pursue a policy 
to pursue a career
attend to
обращать внимание; 
уделять внимание
definition
pay attention to; take seriously; to deal with somebody/something

synonyms
assist, take care of, look after

collocations
attend to [business, the matter at hand]
(have) [business] to attend 
to attend to the needs
asset
имущество; средства; активы; ценное качество, вклад
definition
a useful or valuable quality, item

synonyms
belongings, holding, property, aid, benefit, resource, service

collocations
[public, private] assets
[digital, capital, real, total, net] assets
is a [liquid, fixed, variable] asset
is [an important, an essential, a valuable] asset (to)
an asset of the [public, people, company]
[allocate, invest, protect, insure, liquidate, sell off] your assets
has [a number, many] assets
priority
приоритет
definition
status established in order of importance or urgency 

synonyms
precedence

collocations
should be treated as a priority
should be considered a priority
your [number one, top] priority
it is your [number one] priority to [go, pick up, find, complete] this [project, assignment, task]
is your [number one] priority
make it your [number one] priority
it is a priority to [ensure, provide, get]
is of the [utmost, highest] priority
has never been a priority
undergo
подвергаться,
испытывать,
переносить
definition
to be subjected to; experience; pass through, to endure;
sustain; suffer

synonyms
to experience; to endure; sustain; suffer

collocations
undergo [a procedure, an operation]
is undergoing [treatment, therapy, surgery] (for)
has undergone a major [change, breakup, move]
undergo (further) [training, testing, renovation, development]
has undergone (extensive) [training]
undergo (additional) [scrutiny, examination, screening]
undergo [starvation, deprivation, hardships]
foster
поощрять,
воспитывать, благоприятствовать
definition
to promote the growth or development of; further; encourage

synonyms
promote , encourage , cultivate, advance , nurture

collocations
foster a [child, dog]
[woman, family] who fosters [children, orphans]
foster the [creation, development, growth] of
foster and [promote, encourage, support]
foster a sense of [responsibility, pride]
is fostering (a sense of) resentment
foster [negative, destructive] thoughts
trigger
инициировать,
вызывать,
дать начало
definition
to initiate or precipitate; put in motion or move to act

synonyms
cause, generate, produce, prompt, provoke, activate, incite

collocations
trigger the [alarm]
triggers [asthma, allergies]
[can, may] trigger the [symptoms, disease]
triggered by [stress, poor diet]
triggered to [produce, release, send]
triggered the [development, creation, invention] of
trigger the [collapse, destruction] of the [company, organization, empire, government]
tangible
материальный,
ощутимый,
осязаемый
definition
that can be touched, definite; not vague; clear

synonyms
material, physical, substantial, touchable, concrete, visible, observable

collocations
tangible [goals, targets, objectives]
make a tangible [improvement, difference, contribution]
[have, calculate, sell] tangible assets
present tangible [evidence, proof]
[reach, set] a tangible goal
the goal [seems, looks] tangible
feasible
возможный,
осуществимый, выполнимый,
вероятный
definition
capable of being done, effected, or accomplished, probable; likely

synonyms
possible, doable, achievable, attainable, practicable, workable

collocations
it is (not) feasible to [have, use, provide]
it is (not) feasible for them to [have]
is (not) feasible for [many, some]
is not feasible for [investment, travel]
is not feasible at present
[is, seems, would be] perfectly feasible
it’s technically feasible, but