International affairs editor of the Financial Times Quentin Peel spoke Thursday before a crowd comprised largely of Fletcher students about strained relations between the European Union (EU) and the United States.
Although Peel said the United States has put little attention into the churning processes on the other side of the Atlantic, he said the enlargement of the EU will continue to have profound effects on the global system.
Peel said that the European Union is working on ratifying a constitution that will put together a "European Demos." The enlargement of the EU by these 10 new members, along with the creation of a constitution, has made EU politics increasingly complex.
Peel speculated that the politics under this new EU Constitution will only serve to continue polarizing EU interests with those of the United States.
Peel began his talk by touching on the current changes in the EU. "What was traditionally a rich man's club will now be much more of a poor man's club," he said. The recent addition of ten smaller developing nations to the 15 established members of the EU has stirred up some controversy. "Big states, specifically Germany, are running out of enthusiasm for funding the poorer EU states," Peel said.
He noted that there are also strains between the existing poorer states such as Spain, and new poor states such as Poland, as the Spanish realize they will be forced to sacrifice some of their budget to make way for new states. "The battle for the budget in the EU will last quite a few years," Peel said.
Despite his doubts for votes from Great Britain and the Czech Republic, he expressed faith that the new EU Constitution will be ratified.
He explained that although the new member states "do not have ambitious interests ... or a global foreign policy" for areas like the Middle East and Africa, they will most likely ratify the constitution in order to receive extra funding.
Peel said that the gap between European interests and U.S. intentions in the Middle East will most likely continue to be a major issue for the two political entities. While some European countries have sought a diplomatic solution to stop the nuclear developmental program in Iran, the United States, "according to Cheney during the inaugural address," will be ready for a more aggressive approach, Peel said.
"European solidarity will grow because new member states want the EU to work," Peel said. But at the same time, U.S. interests will only continue to move over rocky ground with the developing European interest.
Peel's speech is part of the Charles Francis Adams Lecture Series. It was sponsored by the Fletcher School in conjunction with Tufts University.
