«It is right to open the European doors to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries that have the same aspiration for freedom and democracy. It is wrong to belittle the complexity of this process ». Because “entry is anything but simple”. There are many delays to be bridged to adapt to the required standards, as is the potential impact of a new enlargement on the very structure of the EU. For this, writes the secretary of the Democratic Party Enrico Letta in an intervention in Corriere, it is necessary to immediately create “a European Confederation, made up of 27 member states, Ukraine, Georgia and Moldavia, and then North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro , Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo. A twofold result would be obtained. Ukraine and the other waiting countries could participate in European public life and have subjectivity in a common political and strategic space. At the same time, the ordered path of EU accession would continue, without forcing and with the right timing ”.
Letta explains that the European enlargement after 1989 continued “without vision. Great promises in the beginning; then years of cold showers; finally, acceleration. The result? The resentment of some, the newcomers, and the distrust of the others, the old members. The subsequent events in Hungary, Poland or the Visegrad group testify to this ».
“My plea is: let’s not make the same mistakes,” he says. In his proposal, the most concrete declination of this new Confederation “would be the meetings of the European Councils which should be immediately followed, with great symbolic force, in the same place, by the summit of the leaders of the Confederation”.
In the past, the countries of Central and Eastern Europe immediately expressed their desire to be part of the Community that was transforming itself into a Union. “The answer was prompt and affirmative, as is the one we give to Ukraine today,” says Letta. «The ideal position did, however, lose sight of the practical repercussions. We proceeded between great rhetorical commitments and a plan of individual paths and bilateral relations, without every possible complication being well considered. It did not go as expected and the complexity of an operation emerged which in one fell swoop would have doubled the number of member countries and transformed the way of being of the Union. In this tortuous path, for example, it was not possible to reform the decision-making process and to abolish the right of veto in many, too many areas. It took decades to complete the enlargement. Public opinion became hostile. And it was only thanks to the determination of the Prodi Commission that the process came to an end ».
Now, the events of recent weeks confirm however «how important it was in any case to succeed in enlargement. But it should have been avoided to focus everything solely on joining the EU as quickly as possible. A more ambitious architecture should have been built from the start. All in order to make two complementary needs coexist: the immediate sharing of the policy and the progressive adaptation of the policies ».
For this reason, “the European Confederation would be the place for political dialogue between the 36 members. Common choices would be agreed. The ability to jointly define global strategies would be improved, starting with the defense of peace, security, the promotion of a just and sustainable development model and the fight against climate change. And it would be charged with strength, even symbolic, the unity of the continent ».
“The convulsions of these dramatic days must never make us lose sight of the general picture or lose the clarity in foreseeing the consequences on the future of the choices that are made today”, warns the secretary Dem. “The Europe of tomorrow will be different, however different. This is why it is vital to guide change and not be guided by events, starting with the determination to make the European Union more and more a continent of peace fighting for peace. Europe is our home: it is so attractive that millions and millions of citizens from outside want to be part of it. It is so precious that reforming it, making it more solid, is a historical duty, perhaps the most demanding ever faced by our generations “.
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