More than a year after the French and the Dutch voted against the Constitution of the European Union (EU), the credibility of the EU has once again been put in question by its passive behaviour when faced with the war in Lebanon.
What use is Europe? wonders Éric de la Maisonneuve in this article. The EU is no longer as effective as was once hoped; this is especially obvious from its reluctance to act in the Lebanese crisis last summer. Far from seeking to destroy such legitimacy as the EU still has, he explains that if the EU wishes to be taken seriously by both its citizens and the international community, it cannot rest on its laurels – it must react swiftly and shoulder its global responsibilities. It must show that it is capable of protecting Lebanon, a country with which it has historical links of friendship, and help it to regain its stability and its political independence. Intervening in Lebanon could enable the EU to start truly to “exist”, he argues.
Cet article fait partie de la revue Futuribles n° 324, nov. 2006
