Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov: forces opposing the process of deep integration will not be able to stop this process
17.01.2024
Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov
Because it is beneficial for all EU countries.
Recent developments and trends raise concerns about whether the EU, and particularly the member states, will be able to maintain a balance between federalism and sovereignty. What will be the process of deepening European integration? Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov, the president of the Institute of Public Affairs in Slovakia, shared his vision with our media.
The European Union emerged as a union of national states, primarily based on certain principles – economic profit, cooperation, and conflict prevention, but gradually there is a tendency to deepen ties (which was reflected in the name of this process – integration, and it prevails). A great achievement for Europe, for post-war development — countries gradually began to move away from the previous model of trade and economic cooperation of states and moved to true integration, which consists of the adoption of certain norms and principles that become a factor in the internal development of these states.
General European legislation is that which is regulated within the integration association and is part of the internal legislation regarding federalism. The trend is clear — it is not just the cooperation of individual independent states, despite the existence of certain forces that do not want to deepen the integration process, on the contrary, most European political mainstreams (People’s Party, Social Democrats, Liberals, Greens) adhere to the concept of deep European integration. The EU is a commonwealth of states united by common principles and norms, but not equal — large and small, located in different regions, and not all their interests completely coincide. There are efforts not only by individual political forces but also by individual states, to obtain certain preferences.
But in my opinion, the European Union is distinguished by the fact that no state is deprived of sovereignty, each state has its place in the system of international relations, and their unification does not cause a loss of independence. When any problems arise in the relations between the states, the EU has learned to function in the conditions of any crises. So, there is no need to urgently solve the problem that has arisen. Conditions for solving the issue are gradually being developed. So, all the crises that the EU overcame over the past ten years complicated the situation but did not become an insurmountable obstacle to the existence of the EU.
For example, the ongoing migrant crisis, which began in 2015 (Ukraine has nothing to do with it), showed how EU states can cooperate. In 2016, all the countries of the Visegrad Four refused to adhere to the general principles of the EU, they wanted a special position for themselves, but thanks to the policy of support of the great powers: Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands: this problem was solved, despite the harsh statements. The EU is an association that is determined to solve all problems through cooperation and peaceful development.
In my opinion, those forces opposing the process of deep integration will not be able to stop this process, because it is beneficial for all states. For example, the sector of mobile communications. There is a single roaming in the EU, which was hard to even imagine 10 years ago. This is a simple example of the integration of a communication system. I am a Euro-optimist, and Slovakia enjoys all the benefits of European integration. Due to pan-European principles, Slovakia has become a democratic decentralized state.
Newssky correspondent (Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland), head of the V5 Media project, and deputy editor-in-chief Maryna Kovalchuk spoke.
