On the eve of the 2009 European election campaign, let us take a moment to review the parliamentary term that is now drawing to a close. The events that have taken place during that parliamentary term are enough to make your head spin!
In 2004, the challenge facing the European elections was clear: the European Union had five years to try to catch up. It was behind in terms of its economy, mired in slow growth in comparison with the spectacular performance of emerging market economies and the continued strength of the US economy. It was behind in terms of its organisation, with the EU’s major enlargement to include the countries of Central and Eastern Europe ultimately taking place before the institutions had been reformed, something which should have been a prerequisite for enlargement: the political Europe of 25 was still operating according to the rules of the modest little Common Market of the Six from 50 years ago! It was also behind in terms of its diplomacy, too often marred by disagreements or simply absent when it came to major international issues. For the peoples of Europe, this series of failures to make any real progress became a source of growing concern at a time when the increasing pace of globalisation was heightening the contrast between a world that was undergoing a process of change and a continent that was struggling to ensure that its mechanisms were in full working order so that it could face the challenges of the 21st century.
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