The politics of Europe 1999: spring cleaning

The European Union (EU) finished off the twentieth century with more action than vision. A large number of issues were raised—often with surprising energy and enthusiasm—and yet we are no closer to understanding the nature of Europe’s future at the start of the new millennium than we were at the end of the last. Indeed, the temptation is to write off the year 1999 as a period of great expectations and modest accomplishments. Early rhetoric about the impact of EMU on world financial markets, about Europe’s progress toward resolving the jobs crisis, about efforts to tackle corruption, and about the inevitability of enlargement seem hyperbolic to say the least. The prolonged depreciation of the euro‐dollar exchange rate, the allegations linking François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl in illegal campaign financing, the smoldering violence in Kosovo, the persistence of European unemployment, and the resounding electoral achievements of the right‐wing Austrian Freedom Party, all conspire to suggest that Europe is defined more by the shadow of the past than by any vision of the future. The argument in this essay is that such an assessment would be in error. Europe may not have come close to achieving any of the grand objectives suggested by the flurry of activity in 1999. However, by placing too much emphasis on the work that remains we risk discounting unnecessarily the achievements that have been made. The politics of 1999 was more a ‘spring cleaning’ than a pivotal moment in European affairs. As with any spring cleaning, what is important is to focus on is what was discarded and what was retained. Such reordering of the past often involves uncomfortable confrontations. It usually also sets the stage for more constructive activity in the future. Thus where 1999 offered more action than vision, perhaps more time can be devoted to vision than action in the years to come. This argument is made in four sections. Three of these provide a functional overview of developments during the course of the year. The first section deals with institutional matters, specifically as these relate to the Commission and the Parliament. The second turns to economic issues, and focuses on economic and monetary union (EMU) and employment. The third examines the area of foreign affairs, and draws attention to the development of a European security identity and the acceleration of enlargement. Building on this overview, the fourth section provides an assessment of what has been achieved and what remains to be accomplished.