Double Talking

One of my biggest complaints about Europhiles is their predilection for making idealistic statements in support of European integration, which have little or nothing to doing with the reality. The Economist illustrates this nicely with an article concerning Ukraine, which is unfortunately not freely available. It concerns the reluctance of many of the EU’s most ardent supporters to consider Ukraine and Turkey for membership.

The goal of the founding fathers of the European project was above all the establishment of peace on the European continent. Another war between France and Germany is now unthinkable. But the first world war started in the Balkans and the second with the invasion of Poland. Ensuring that these regions are safely incorporated into a liberal, democratic club may be thought a higher task than trying to guarantee that all Europeans enjoy the dubious delights of CAP subsidies and directives on working time.

There is not much that I can add.