At the European Council, illusionists are king

News Mondays - Diego Taboada

This week, the heads of state and government of the member countries of the European Union met at the European Council. As with every «high-level meeting», expectations were high. On the agenda: the migration crisis and eurozone reform. This summit, which was supposed to be decisive in resolving the EU's umpteenth crisis, disappointed, as always. Europeanists lamented and skeptics had a field day: no real progress, just smiles and empty declarations. It was all smoke and mirrors - or rather, perlimpinpin.

The arrival in power of the Euro-xenophobic League party in Italy and its refusal to allow more migrants to land on its shores set the tone for the June summit. And while this decision may have been open to criticism from a humanitarian point of view, it did have the merit of moving lines at European level. After long hours of negotiations, with their share of threats and far-fetched proposals, the twenty-eight member states agreed to set up migrant control centers within the EU on a voluntary basis.

Yes, you read that right. Voluntary. Inserted probably to satisfy Italian demands, this provision clearly indicates that in substance, nothing changes. What's more, the countries most in favor of a European solution were quick to refute the creation of such centers on their territory. Humanism is all well and good, but it's even better if others take care of it.

Migration or political crisis?

Defended as a major step forward by advocates of closer European integration - led by President Macron - the European Council's conclusion was also presented as a victory by the new Italian executive and Central European countries. But soon afterwards, criticism began to mount, with NGOs denouncing unacceptable omissions and negative consequences for migrants. Even the Italian media seemed less satisfied after reading the document.

Paradoxically, this «migration crisis» isn't really a crisis at all. According to official figures from Frontex (ed. note: the European agency supporting border guards), European coasts saw nearly 45,000 people disembark in 2018. The lowest figure for the same time of year in three years, and a far cry from the million migrants of 2015. More than a migration problem, it is indeed a political crisis that the EU is facing. Weakened by Brexit and the constant provocations of eurosceptic Central European countries, no longer respecting the Union's fundamental values, the EU is at a crossroads.

The Paris-Berlin axis in its death throes

As you can see, nothing is about to change for the situation of migrants, who will henceforth be «stored» and «sorted» in camps, nor for the Mediterranean countries, which are bearing the full brunt of the European Union's «solidarity». As the exiles have been abandoned to their fate for years, it is hard to believe that these new EU measures will substantially improve their situation.

More problematic in the long term is the political deadlock once again revealed by the empty but necessary consensus in a European Council that operates on the basis of unanimity: less and less well disguised, the divergences are widening between countries whose expectations, interests and objectives seem further apart than ever. What's more, Franco-German cooperation, Europe's historic driving force, is running out of steam. Joined by Spain, whose new president claims to embody the common good by welcoming boats turned back by Italy, the pro-European Paris-Berlin axis seems weaker than ever.

Emmanuel Macron appears to be alone in his plans to implement his famous eurozone reform. Quid from the German chancellor, who has been at the helm during previous EU crises, from debt to Brexit? For once, Angela Merkel is keeping a low profile, more concerned with presenting her Interior Minister with an acceptable «migration» solution to save her coalition than with embarking on unpopular reforms at home.

The planets seem to be lining up nicely for opponents of European integration. With one year to go before the European elections, Europeanists have plenty to worry about. Leaders' illusions and declarations of intent will soon no longer be enough to save the European Union. The key could lie in a diversity of modes of cooperation between countries, no longer always via the Community route, but through intergovernmental agreements.

A step backwards, some would say, but perhaps the only way to avoid the disintegration of an increasingly criticized European Union. For although Winston Churchill would say that success consists in going from failure to failure without ever losing one's enthusiasm, it will take more than enthusiasm for these leaders to save what is still today the most successful form of supranational organization.

Write to the author: diego.taboada@leregardlibre.com