Shuttle diplomacy Merkel has not eliminated the differences in the EU on migration policy
Angela Merkel after a meeting on the aircraft carrier “Giuseppe Garibaldi” with the French President and Prime Minister of Italy decided to give a master-class Shuttle diplomacy. Within four days the German Chancellor spoke with the presidents and heads of governments of the eleven countries of the European Union. In the middle of last week took place on her visit to Estonia, then there was Prague, Warsaw and homemade rendezvous with foreign guests in Berlin.
Flurry of diplomatic activity Merkel is due to the need to “compare notes” on the eve of the EU summit in Bratislava. The first emotional reaction to Brickset” has passed, and now on the agenda one question: how to live? Example of the English though contagious, but the collapse of a United Europe is a dream of eurosceptics, nationalists and the Kremlin strategists. But the fact that the old motivators of European development — expansion through new members, unification of national laws — has ceased to operate, was a new political reality.
A crucial role in this process was played by the external factor — the flow of refugees to Europe in 2015. The slogan Merkel “We will overcome it!” she, not limited to Germany, sought to extend to the whole of the EU, persistently pressing at the summit the decision on mandatory quotas on the admission of migrants, met with strong resistance in most countries.
The refugee problem was deeper and more serious than the question of who and how many will take the migrants?
Discussions on this subject revealed that, first, European integration is still largely declarative. The lack of border, customs controls and the freedom of movement given, of course, a powerful jolt of entrepreneurial activity, contributed to the development of tourism, scientific and cultural exchanges. But the formation of a pan-European labour market with equal social guarantees for all participants meets a hard to overcome barrier: countries with a high level of development does not want to share their public wealth with the poorer. In practice, this means that, for example, the Bulgarians or the Romanians, being a citizen of the EU and, therefore, formally equal in rights with a German or a Dane, can’t count on Germany or Denmark, the equivalent salary to feel completely protected in the labor conflicts, have state benefits include health and retirement insurance.
Secondly, the ruling elite of many countries-EU members the more bureaucratic role of Brussels saw this as an attack on their power functions. Besides, the national opponents of the European integration, based on the traditional conservative fear of the population before outsiders, with the beginning of the migration crisis rapidly began to gain political weight. In terms of electoral democracy is in danger of losing the confidence of the electorate and, as a consequence, a defeat at the next hike voters to the polls.
No wonder they say that the results of the English referendum could be others, if not for the flood of refugees.
Not to say that the EU leadership and leading leaders are not aware of the situation. Merkel, going to your diplomatic marathon, formulated his objective: “Now is the time to listen and understand each other, to define a new balance within the EU-27 and to develop it”. However, the accumulated discontent, especially in a number of Eastern European partners within the so-called Visegrad group (Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia) has reached critical mass. And if in Tallinn , Chancellor of Germany, welcomed as a dear guest in Prague and Warsaw, she was expecting a very different reception.
The Czech capital welcomed the head of the German government posters “Merkel get out!” and whistling, the local press has filled numerous cartoons, most of which are harmless portrayed Frau Chancellor in hijab and Hitler’s mustache. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has stated categorically that the Czechs can’t endorse a system that insists on compulsory distribution of refugees.
Even tougher was the reaction of Poland, which, by the way, there were also other representatives of the Visegrad four. On the eve of Merkel’s visit to Warsaw, the Polish Minister of foreign Affairs Witold Waszczykowski, referring to the German position on Nord stream-2″, actually accused Germany of selfishness and disregard for the interests of the nearest neighbours. The Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, some softening sharp criticism from his subordinate, expressed readiness to discuss the problems of assistance to the crisis regions of the Middle East and Asia, strengthening of security and external borders, but not the quota on migrants.
The Hungarian head of government Viktor Orban, going to the Polish capital for a meeting with Merkel, has officially announced that Budapest will erect another line of border installations of barbed wire in addition to the current fence the border and equip the latest technical innovations tracking and warning. As for the reception of migrants,
October in Hungary on the issue of the planned national referendum, which is expected legitimizes the failure of the Hungarian politicians to participate in the European distribution of refugees by country.
On the sidelines of the leaders of the Visegrad group did not hide the blatant irritation the fact that Merkel undertook to probe the mood on the eve of the Bratislava summit. It is considered the main culprit of the migration crisis and believe that she wants to build in Europe a superstate in the spirit of the next Reich with the dominant role of Germany. It would be better, according to Eastern European politicians, if those engaged by the head of the European Council Donald Tusk or the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.
Consultations with the Dutch, Swedes and Danes in the country residence of the German government, the Meseberg were held in a closed mode, like a meeting with the representatives of Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria. Although already known that the Northern neighbours of Germany last year decided to limit the admission of refugees, Austria has introduced its own quota for immigrants and strict border regime, and Bulgaria urges Brussels to provide material and financial assistance in the protection of the external borders of the EU with Turkey.
So the main result of the intensive communication of the head of the German government with the EU partners can be called maintaining the same sharp differences in migration policy, which, no doubt, will affect the atmosphere of the upcoming summit in Slovakia. And in Germany itself is growing dissatisfaction with the stubborn unwillingness of Merkel to admit that she opened the border for refugees, made a mistake with unpredictable political consequences for the country. In the leadership of the Bavarian Christian social Union — affiliated party of the ruling Christian democratic Union — is seriously discussing the nomination of its own candidate for the post of Chancellor in the elections of 2017.
It is symptomatic that during the meeting of Merkel with the European colleagues, the radicals of the nationalist movement “Identitary” climbing on the Brandenburg gate in Central Berlin, hoisted a huge banner “secure borders — safe future”.
