UNITY OF THE UNION
MIROSŁAW PIOTROWSKI
‘I would like Putin to be in a team with me’ – these are words of the prime minister of Italy Matteo Renzi before the announcement of his visit to Russia. We observe that another country is breaching the so-called European solidarity. In response to the Russian expansion onto Ukraine, the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia, intending to isolate it. Although consequences of sanctions are felt, Władimir Putin is persistently implementing policy divide et impera. But is it difficult to divide the Union? Despite glorious declarations, in the sphere of foreign policy, the EU has never spoken with one voice. Both the High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini, and the chief of the European Council Donald Tusk, are completely invisible. The function was taken over by the chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, who with the president of France Francois Holland is negotiating with Russia and Ukraine on behalf of the whole Union. The four countries called ‘Norman format’ undertake decisions behind a curtain. The range of informal negotiating mandate of Merkel and Holland is unknown which worries many countries. There is a justified suspicion that using the situation, they care not so much about advantages of the whole Union, but mainly of Germany and France. These two countries have been making energetic and military interests with Russia for a long time. Therefore, no wonder that leaders of other EU countries are not hiding their heads into sand. Italy needs Russia to stifle revolt in Libya, where it extracts oil flowing to it. Italy must also stop the inflow of Islamic terrorists. Hungary, where Putin has been recently, signed an energetic contract with Russia, worth over 100 milliard euro. New authorities of Greece are calling the Union to stop ‘spasmodic’ actions against Russia. Since the beginning Greece has not been participating in the whole packet of sanctions. Moreover, the president of Cyprus has gone to Moscow in order to ‘deepen mutual relations’, that is, in relation to signing contracts concerning energetics, trade, agriculture, tourism. Thanks to it, the number of Russian tourists in Cyprus will rise. And what is the Polish government doing? Observing how the EU sanctions against Russia are directed against farmers and industrialists, our government is experiencing practical dimension of the flagship slogan of the Union – unity in variety.
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„Niedziela” 10/2015