The European Union: there are no places more!

The deputy of the European Parliament, the chairman of fraction “Free democrats”, the descendant of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia at the last tsar, Alexander Lambsdorf (Germany) acted in the Moscow School of Political Studies with lecture about today's and tomorrow of the European Union. He declared that in the near future the new states won't be accepted in the union …

- I believe that we will see much stronger centralization in the eurozone. There will be a sovereignty reduction, stronger control from Brussels from the point of view of responsibility. Brussels as though will supervise more the member states and this control will be much more rigid, than someone could imagine 10 years ago. I personally believe that it is good.

If the euro fails and all countries will return to the national currency, it will be accident for the European integration. And the movement process to uniform Europe will be interrupted. But I believe that macroeconomic centralization would be very reasonable in such situation. I own honestly, I don’t know will it be enough to hold this currency…

Greece is only 2 % from the European Union’s economy, but already the large economies gets to trouble. Spain and Italy are the big economies and these countries need to be protected, and France needs to be protected too! It is necessary to give the time to these countries that they would make up and level. The share of France fell in export in the world for 20 %. I will tell for comparison: Germany exported more than China for the last year! It seems to me that eventually, we can make all necessary to stabilize the euro. Germany should guarantee that the debts will be paid, at least partially. But it is what the Germans don’t want …

Here is the question: there will be 27-28 small states or there will be a strong European union?! My answer is obvious: I want the strong European Union! And all are obliged to do everything that depends on them to achieve the success of this union. And in 10-15 years we’ll have other union.

How the European Union is ready to accept the new countries? Croatia, seems to me, will be the last new country throughout any time … Today the expansion is slowed down. And now, as it seems to me, it is hard to say that Turkey can join the European Union: the gross domestic product per head is to low there– it is even lower the Bulgarian and there is the population of 75 million …

In case of arrangement achievement with Turkey it is possible to mean a hypothetical continuity of such integrated European Union. Then the integration of the Caucasian republics, of course, will be more transparent and potentially the possible process. But Armenia and Azerbaijan have not resolved territorial conflict and we don't want to see not resolved territorial conflicts in the European Union. We already have two such examples: Cyprus and Ireland – it is quite enough for us… Therefore, the conflict round Nagorno-Karabakh should be resolved until the speech still can come about the integration of the trans-Caucasian republics. And I would like to be quite frank, telling it.

Croatia becomes the last new state of the European Union in long perspective. Serbia has not resolved territorial conflict, in particular, until Serbia doesn't recognize the independence of Kosovo. And, respectively, we don't carry on negotiations and Serbia won't be the new member state in long perspective.