EU presidency: A leader emerges.Byline: Arab NewsNicolas Sarkozy has proved that EU governments can act collectively and that the institution is still greater than the sum of its parts, said The Guardian in an editorial yesterday. Excerpts: Even if it is being said through gritted teeth in London, the French presidency of the European Union European Union (EU), name given since the ratification (Nov., 1993) of the Treaty of European Union, or Maastricht Treaty, to the European Community , which ends this month, has been a success. This is not a column which has devoted many inches to praising Sarkozy. But as a man who can take the helm of an institution in crisis, the EU has found a new leader in him. Consider what happened in the last six months: Georgia attacked a breakaway break·a·way adj. 1. Designed to break, bend, or fall apart easily upon impact, especially to create an illusion, as with a theater prop, or for safety, as with a highway sign or barrier. 2. province and Russia invaded. Few believe Sarkozy's claim to have talked Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, out of going all the way to Tbilisi, but at the time, the dialogue between the two men was the only game in town, and the means by which the Russian columns withdrew, albeit partially. European diplomacy diplomacy Art of conducting relationships for gain without conflict. It is the chief instrument of foreign policy. Its methods include secret negotiation by accredited envoys (though political leaders also negotiate) and international agreements and laws. , so easy to dismiss, stuttered back to life. Then came the global crash. Again, the stimulus package amounting to "about" 1.5 percent of EU GDP GDP (guanosine diphosphate): see guanine. had much of its voltage reduced by Germany, and was in any case little more than a bundle of different national responses. But to achieve that, Sarkozy knocked together heads both in and out of the euro zone, and showed that the EU was capable of taking collective decisions when it mattered. Nor did the two crises derail de·rail intr. & tr.v. de·railed, de·rail·ing, de·rails 1. To run or cause to run off the rails. 2. an already packed agenda. Climate change and the Lisbon treaty emerged relatively unscathed. What if two major international crises had happened during the presidency of a smaller member nation, like the Czech Republic Czech Republic, Czech Česká Republika (2005 est. pop. 10,241,000), republic, 29,677 sq mi (78,864 sq km), central Europe. It is bordered by Slovakia on the east, Austria on the south, Germany on the west, and Poland on the north. , which takes over for the next six months? Sarkozy proved that EU governments can act collectively and that the institution is still greater than the sum of its parts. In acting like a leader of the EU should, Sarkozy provided the best possible argument for replacing the current rotating ro·tate v. ro·tat·ed, ro·tat·ing, ro·tates v.intr. 1. To turn around on an axis or center. 2. presidency with an elected president. Copyright: Arab News [c] 2003 All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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