For de som lurer på hvem Günther Verheugen er kommer et svar her. En dansk
kommentator sa i ettermiddags at EU innen nytår kan befinne seg i sin
største interne krise til nå.
Det er slikt som aldri når fram til den norske offentlighet usensurert. Men
det er viktig å forstå:
1) "Euroland" er egentlig en D-mark-sone. På samme måten er det amerikanske
kontinent ved å bli en dollar-sone.
2) Det som foregår i Tyskland nå med dyp krise i CDU/CSU og sterk
oppblomstring i nynazisme er alvorlig. Ikke minst fordi det faller
sammen med Haider og nyfascistisk suksess i Italia. Angsten for billig
arbeidskraft fra øst stikker dypt i bl.a. tysk arbeiderklasse, og dypere
jo lenger øst man kommer, hvor arbeidsløsheten er stor.
Karsten Johansen
http://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/et?ac1601715957616&rtmo=pIUplepe&atmo=7FlQA
nAt&pg=/et/00/9/4/weu04.html
EU chief reprimanded for expansion gaffe By Toby Helm in Berlin
THE German commissioner responsible for EU enlargement triggered a row in
Europe yesterday by saying that his country should hold a referendum on
expansion into eastern Europe.
Günther Verheughen, formerly Germany's European affairs minister, was
severely reprimanded by Romano Prodi, the Commission president, and accused
by France of endangering the policy he is supposed to be championing.
In an interview with Süddeutsche Zeitung, Mr Verheughen said the German
government should not repeat the mistake it made when it introduced the
single European currency "behind the backs of the population". "I was for a
referendum at that time. It would have forced the elites to come out of
their ivory towers and campaign for the euro in a dialogue with the people."
As EU leaders pushed ahead with plans to enlarge, it was vital that its
politicians should not "decide over the heads of the people [but hear] the
valid fears of their citizens". These would include worries about the
resulting influx of cheap labour and possible increases in cross-border crime.
The remarks, which suggested that the commissioner had reservations about
the goal of enlargement, astonished EU foreign ministers meeting in Evian,
France. Hubert Védrine, the French minister, said such remarks risked
creating "a pretext not to negotiate seriously" with candidate countries of
the former Communist bloc.
Joschka Fischer, the German minister, said his country's constitution did
not, anyway, provide for such referendums. "Once you have set the policy
goal, you have to follow the road right to the end," he said. One diplomat
at the meeting described the comments as "an earthquake".
A furious Mr Prodi, who has made enlargement the main goal of his
presidency, ordered his officials to contact Mr Verheugen immediately to
explain himself.
Last night Mr Verheugen's spokesman described the incident as "a storm in a
teacup", saying the commissioner had only repeated a private view as a
German politician that citizens should be involved in decisions on big
issues. "He never meant it as a manoeuvre to delay the process. He just
wants to ensure some democratic legitimacy to it."
Talks on EU enlargement began in 1998 with Hungary, Poland, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Slovenia and Cyprus. This year Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia,
Lithuania, Slovakia and Malta also joined the negotiations. Turkey has been
accepted as a "candidate" nation but formal negotiations have not yet begun.
All main parties in Germany support the admission of former Communist
neighbours. But, as well as concerns over immigration, politicians and the
public fear that Germany, as the EU's largest nation, will bear the largest
part of the cost of admitting the agricultural economies of the east.
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