FOREWORD
A TEMPORARY LAYBY ON THE ROAD
TO AN ORWELLIAN FUTURE

June/July 2005

The overwhelming rejection of the European Constitution by the French and the Dutch has Eurocrats diving for cover, wondering how to spin their way out of the crisis. Several weeks earlier, the tens of thousands of politicians, consultants, NGOs and whatnot had told themselves and everyone else that all seemed to be going so well: the integration process was “on track”; the Romanian and Bulgarian case for membership in 2007 had appeared a done deal. Turkey was being talked of in glowing terms, and encouraging signs had been given to some countries in the former Yugoslavia. Analysts have cited a variety of reasons such as voter dissatisfaction with the French and Dutch governments, the higher prices brought on by EU monetary expansion, and rejection of the euro itself. Above all though, the No vote seems to have been a vote against big government, and the way governments seem to be making decision without heeding the will of the people who elected them. In this respect the French and Dutch have delivered a resounding protest at the way our politicians rule our lives. Doubtless the Eurocrats will take time out now, and be back with another form of the Constitution which most likely will be passed behind closed doors in the various parliaments of EU member states – having been stung by allowing the people to decide, they won’t make the same mistake twice. Nevertheless a serious protest has been registered, and the politicians have no option now but to tread more carefully.
How does this affect Romania? Given the country’s poor track record with its politicians, Vivid has always been in favour of a higher power to monitor the government’s actions. It can’t have been any coincidence that the government rushed through a bill that paved the way for restitution of property seized by the communists, just days after the French and Dutch had voted. Yes, rushed through; even though the legislation was 15 years in the making. And it can’t have been any coincidence that the PSD reacted almost immediately by saying that they would oppose such a bill.
For those who might consider that the protest vote could seriously derail the EU membership aspirations of those states yet to be fully anointed, the former EU Enlargement Commissioner, Guenther Verheugen, has emerged with some soothing words. According to him, it is not enlargement but globalisation that caused the current European crisis. But for many people, European enlargement - to the point that it becomes a United States of Europe, bigger, richer and stronger than the United States of America, with all the good and bad implications inherent in such a prospect - is merely another word for globalisation.
The EU’s single largest achievement to date has been its expansion, and it would be a shame to see the kinds of fears founded in the French and Dutch referendums causing the postponement of further expansion. The “Polish plumber” case – the fear of hordes of Eastern immigrants moving to older EU member countries and taking less well paid jobs – is not proven; as Mr Verheugen pointed out, there are indeed more Germans working in Poland than vice versa. Mass immigration of nationals from new member states hasn’t happened, and nor will it happen when Romania and Bulgaria join. Both countries have much to contribute to the current union, as too does Turkey, the inclusion of which will serve to ease tensions between the Western and Islamic worlds.
That is not to say that the EU does not need to take a long hard look at itself. To allay such fears and ensure that expansion continues the EU needs to decentralise its decision-making procedure, by passing more powers back to its members, to give countries more choice rather than to follow a single unified set of rules. France and Germany may well want to concentrate more on greater social protection for those in work – they should be left alone to do so. Similarly, if Britain says it wants to more broad and liberal trade policies with fewer restrictions on its labour market, then that should be OK too. The policies of one member state should not be allowed to influence the policies of others.
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The winter clothes have been packed away, the windows and doors thrown open gleefully. Bucharest’s terraces and parks are once again crowded, and each weekend sees a mass exodus eastwards to the Black Sea resorts. That can only mean one thing: summer has arrived, and as always Vivid breaks for summer holidays and returns in September. Until then, we’d like to wish our readers all the very best for a safe, fulfilling and relaxing summer.