BY MUHSIN ABAY
TURKIYE- Although the European Union has racked up many accomplishments, it now faces a number of problems awaiting resolution. The bloc's art of achievements for the past 50 years doesn't guarantee its future success.
The members of the EU are trying to develop a European society unified by common values, and a way of living. But they haven't agreed on the common values in question.
There is a strange faction envisioning `a sterile Europe' divorced from religion and decency.
Last year's Muhammed cartoon crisis was the result of this situation. They say that they did this in the name of freedom of speech, but they don't tolerate Muslims expressing themselves.
Many others think that Christianity is in the essence of their common values. They extend the borders of Europe as far as Christianity goes. In the long term, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia and Georgia seemed to be included in its borders. With certain arrangements, they are even seeking ways for Lebanon to join.
On the other hand, they have been trying to find thousands of reasons to exclude Turkey, which is still carrying out negotiations and in the middle of the enlargement area. This fact lies under the all issues put forth to Turkey such as absorption capacity, cultural harmonization, the Cyprus issue, etc.
When it comes to human rights and democracy, supporters of both `sterile Europe' and `Christian Europe' say that everyone is equal. But, in fact, they always hold themselves one rank higher.
This is in no way pluralism or democracy. But one day they will overcome this problem.
We Muslims have many things to do to help them with this. We should help them as good examples.
The EU's other basic issue lies in its decision-making mechanism. While keeping the identities of the separate member states, the bloc should have a democratic structure which makes effective decisions and puts them into effect. If it can't do this, it will lose cohesion even more, or even freeze up.
Europe should move quickly to fill cover its democratic vacuum. The European Parliament, the bloc's only directly elected organ, today seems like window dressing. The real authority is held by the unelected European Commission. The final word rests with European summit of 27 leaders led by powerhouse leaders such as Germany, France, and Britain...
Although the EU is the world's largest trading bloc, it has not been able to develop structures to boost its diplomatic influence. It couldn't formulate common foreign and security policies. With its current 27 member states, and tomorrow 30 or more, the bloc, in its new borders, can be an organized power speaking and acting in lockstep. This depends on the governments' acceptance of the end of the era of absolute national sovereignty. In other words, it depends on them giving up their sovereignty to some extent, to leaving behind deep-rooted hostility and assumptions of superiority, and to unify their powers within the framework of democratic freedom.