The European debate: Germany, France and the United Kingdom, July 2000

A speech in May 2000 by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, speaking in a personal capacity, 'From Confederacy to Federation - Thoughts on the finality of European integration', has ignited a considerable debate in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere, as to the future direction of the European Union.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has called for a major treaty reform to be negotiated in a further Intergovernmental Conference in 2003-2004 (even before the current Intergovernmental Conference has completed its more limited reform agenda). While seen as essentially agreeing with the analysis of his Foreign Minister, commentators have suggested that the Chancellor's primary motivation is to address the calls by the regional level governments in Germany for a clarification of the respective roles of the Länder, the federal government and the EU.

Reaction to the speech by Mr Fischer in France has been somewhat mixed with some muted positive comments from French government ministers, but also a sense that the speech might be a distraction from the specific objectives the French Government is hoping to achieve during the French EU Presidency, July-December 2000.

President Chirac of France (who has a quite separate constitutional role to that of the government in France) made a state visit to Germany from the 25-27 June 2000. On the 27 June 2000 he addressed the Bundestag in Berlin with a powerful speech 'Our Europe':

Our common responsibility, as founding members, is to ask ourselves over and over again the question of the meaning and future of Europe, to never allow our will to weaken.

He suggested that a 'pioneer group' of EU Member States might want to forge ahead with closer political union, helped by a 'light secretariat'. Nevertheless, he stressed that the nation state would remain people's 'first reference points'

While some commentators suggested that the speech indicated a warming up of the old Franco-German leadership of the European integration movement, and which left the United Kingdom outside, more reflective commentators disagreed with this analysis. A careful reading of the speech suggested considerable variances with the proposals put forward by Mr Fischer in his speech, especially with the emphasis on the role of the nation state and the downplaying of the role of the existing EU Institutions with the suggested creation of a separate (presumably intergovernmental) secretariat. On top of that, the French government made it clear that President Chirac was contributing to a debate, not outlining official French policy.

By coincidence, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was also visiting Germany during the same week to give a speech 'Values and the power of Community' to the Global Ethics Foundation at the University of Tubingen on 30 June 2000. He also used the opportunity to have a working dinner with Chancellor Schröder on 29 June 2000. While his speech was not specifically European in its theme, Mr Blair did say:

The EU is the most obvious manifestation around us of the need for nations to co-operate together. This is not a speech about Europe though I am happy to take questions on it. Neither despite what you may read was this ever going to be a response to the interesting and important speech made by President Chirac to the German Parliament earlier this week. I will be setting out the British view as to Europe's future in a speech in the autumn. I have no doubt that it is important for Great Britain to be a full and leading partner in Europe. And as I said last night, it is time we had the confidence in Britain to realise we can shape and influence events in Europe and indeed are doing so. Europe is not a conspiracy against us, but an opportunity for us.

Further insights into the UK Government's reaction to the speeches by Mr Fischer and President Chirac can be gleaned from the Lobby Briefing given to journalists by the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman (PMOS) on 28 June 2000 and on a statement by the PMOS on UK media coverage of the issue

In essence, what is happening is a furtherance of the necessary and pressing debate as to how the European Union will function when it has enlarged to between twenty five and thirty countries. Decision making procedures must be adapted to make the existing system work. However, in addition, there is a fear amongst those interests in Europe who wish to push ahead towards a closer political and economic union that a larger EU might well slow down this progress, unless mechanisms are put in place to allow groups of countries to move ahead of other countries within the EU on particular issues. Some call this concept a 'two-speed' or 'multi-speed' Europe, others 'reinforced co-operation'. To a certain extent the Treaty of Amsterdam created mechanisms to allow for such action, but proponents of the concept want to relax the restrictions on its further development.

Further background information can be seen in the European Sources Online: In Focus: Franco-German summit meeting, Mainz, 9 June 2000.

Further information within European Sources Online

European Sources Online: European Voice

• 26.11.98: German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has called for the creation of a single European state
• 22.6.00: Sound and fury in debate on Union's future
• 29.6.00: Berlin under fire over call for more EU treaty talks
• 29.6.00: Answer to Schröder's problems lies at home
• 29.6.00: Testing times as France takes EU helm

Further information can be seen in these external links:
(long-term access cannot be guaranteed)

France: EU Presidency

• Website

France: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• France in Europe

France: Embassy in London

• France on the future of Europe
• EU enlargement and the European Union

Germany: Foreign Office

• Germany and the European Union (in German)

United Kingdom: Foreign and Commonwealth Office

• Britain and the European Union
• Britain's approach to the Intergovernmental Conference, February 2000
• Britain's role in Europe, March 2000
• Reforming Europe: the UK perspective, May 2000

BBC News:

• 26.6.00: Robin Oakley's week in politics
• 26.6.00: Chirac praises Franco-German role
• 26.6.00: Analysis: Germany's European vision
• 27.6.00: Chirac's Berlin speech
• 27.6.00: Chirac pushes two-speed Europe
• 27.6.00: Blair 'comfortable' with Chirac's EU speech
• 29.6.00: Blair seeks to slow EU integration
• 29.6.00: Blair: No two-speed Europe
• 29.6.00: Hague: Protect UK from EU
• 30.6.00: Blair rebuts idea of European conspiracy
• 30.6.00: Europe: Is Britain being left on the sidelines?
• 30.6.00: Chirac clashes with government over Europe
• 1.7.00: France takes the helm

European Policy Centre

• The Need to Move beyond Amsterdam, April 2000
• A 'Core Europe' is not the appropriate answer to the Enlargement Conundrum, May 2000
• One Europe or Several - The Pros and Cons of Closer Co-operation, May 2000
• Fischer's Views on the Finality of Europe: Some Reasons For Concern, May 2000
• The Europe we need: Is a Franco-German Initiative Emerging?, May 2000
• Joschka Fischer's challenge to Europe: integration or erosion?, June 2000

Ian Thomson
Executive Editor, European Sources Online
Compiled: 1 July 2000

A speech by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer about prospects for European integration has ignited a considerable debate in Germany, France and the United Kingdom as to the future direction of the European Union.