A bimonthly magazine on international affairs, edited in Germany's capital

Home Berlin Policy Journal Leaving Nobody Behind

Leaving Nobody Behind

Berlin Policy Journal September/October 2015
SHARE
,

The EU is experiencing the worst storm since its inception, says Norbert Röttgen, chair of the German Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee. Solidarity and frankness are key to weather it.

BPJ_04-2015_Roettgen_cut

Artwork: Dominik Herrmann

The EU – specifically the eurozone – seems to resemble a group of mountain hikers in the path of an oncoming storm. Should they try to climb to the next shelter? Or head back to base camp? The entire group has to hang in there and make it to the next shelter!

Should a smaller, “pioneering” group explore the way first? No, all members must stay together and depart immediately. Otherwise each will respectively face greater danger. There is no other possibility but for the whole group to reach the next shelter as quickly as possible. They do, however, face an additional difficulty: only a few, to continue our metaphor, are really familiar with the weather report and are unable to communicate the severity of the weather warning to the rest of the group.

… meaning the EU is facing the greatest storm since World War II – but this isn’t being openly communicated? Exactly. Communication within the group is already difficult enough but to get information to home base in order to receive support is even more challenging. They would have to provide clear answers to a few questions: What position are we in? Where are the threats coming from? What has to be done so we do not leave anyone behind?

And where does this path lead? The question is: what kind of shelter do we need in order for all of us to be safe? Both the European Union and the eurozone need reforms to develop the necessary capacities to address our pressing problems and challenges.

Europe has become the destination of choice for hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants from Africa and the Middle East. The problem is too big to be ignored and cannot be solved on the national level. Therefore we need suitable European instruments to respond to this new situation. We must develop a common European refugee policy. We are talking about the very essence of European solidarity – if we fail here, Europe risks to fall apart.

…

Read the complete article in the Berlin Policy Journal App – September/October 2015 issue.

google_store_120px_widthapp_store_120px_width
bpj_app_September_October_2015_245px_width-1

Published by

Out Now: May/June 2020 Issue



+++ The coronavirus crisis has brought Europe and the rest of the world to a standstill. What are the effects of the pandemic on international affairs? The future of the EU depends on how it handles the crisis, argues Daniela Schwarzer. Much is riding on the German EU presidency. David Goodhart makes the case for a retreat from hyperglobalization, and Richard Sennett foresees big changes coming to our way of life; Efi Koutsokosta profiles Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis; Noah Gordon, in his Carbon Critical column, points out that solar, like oil, has its overcapacity problems; and much more +++

Berlin Policy Journal Podcast

European Encounters

European Encounters (#EuropeCounts), supported by Stiftung Mercator (2017-18), aims at contributing toward building a European public. Europeans from different ends and spheres of the continent exchange views on topics relevant to the whole EU. It’s time to make discussions truly European.

Get the App




BERLIN POLICY JOURNAL is a bimonthly digital magazine on European affairs, edited in Germany’s capital and published by the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP). It is best read via our app – on GooglePlay and the Apple AppStore – on tablets and smart phones.