| Description |
The European Union's Eastern question, I believe, is one of the most critical problems with which the European Union (EU) is currently faced. The European Union's Eastern question is as follows: Will the Union admit the countries of Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, known collectively as the Visegrad Group, into its membership and if so, when? This question is critical because of the tremendous danger that instability in these nations poses to Western Europe. Upon examination of European Union documents, official statements from the leaders of the EU as well as the Polish, Czech, and Hungarian governments, newspaper articles, and journals, a possible solution to the Eastern question can be postulated. The most important factor will be the potential security problem on the EU's Eastern frontier. The EU must take some action to preempt a potential crisis to the East. Traditional military solutions are not the most appropriate in dealing with this security problem, however. Rather, the best solution to the problem is integration. The reasoning behind this solution is twofold. First, European security structures have displayed weaknesses. Second, the strengths of the EU are economic. An integration of the Visegrad Group would serve to strengthen the fledgling democratic and capitalistic institutions by stimulating economic growth in these countries. The bolstering of the Visegrad Group's existing governments in this manner would serve to stabilize the EU's Eastern flank. If the European Union integrates the Visegrad Group into its membership in the short term, as I argue they likely will, the Union will be faced with another problem. Integration, especially with the Visegrad Group's current financial situation, would necessarily weaken the EU drive toward stronger, deeper ties among EU nations. I contend that integration in the short term will require that the Union grow together at two speeds. This solution will basically involve splitting the EU into two parts a core of nations which is tightly integrated and a periphery which is loosely grouped around the core. |
