Long behind us is the era of Jean Monnet, Jacques Delors, Helmut Kohl, Angela Merkel, Herman Van Rompuy and a constellation of statesmen whose visions and possibilities were far beyond the capacities of the current political nomenclature European, whose background and skills, especially for solving problematic issues, remain controversial. The problem of the integration of the Western Balkans, and here I emphasize above all the political bullying towards Macedonia, as well as allowing another destructive war on the European continent, confirm these attitudes.
Author: Katerina Topallova
Compared to previous decades, the political landscape of the European Union has become more complex, problematic and contested, while facing a series of challenging problems that still test its cohesion, effectiveness and ability to manage complex issues. One of such complex issues is precisely the “Macedonian” issue, which we were more than sure would not take massive proportions and would not constitute a serious obstacle to Macedonia’s future integration into European society… But it seems we were deceived. and the European Union proved completely incapable of solving such complex issues, which in the time we live in should not even be the subject of discussion.
It was the “Macedonian problem” that tested the full democratic capacity of the Union, which can be concluded to have failed in its manifestation, while “our strategic partner” on the other side of the pond overcame itself at the expense of a small Balkan country. calm and sociable. But it seems that in the world of politics, the popular saying also applies: “you have to behave like a bad person to people, if you want them to respect you”. Didn’t we do this as a society and state?! As it should!
The Union’s lack of democratic capacity to solve the artificially created Macedonian problem, initiated precisely by the member countries, establishing criteria that are not at all “European” and are far from any democratic value, with unprecedented conditions and tasks for any candidate country that has so far gone through the process of integration into the Union, are a serious alarm about the existence of a disturbing crisis of authoritarian politicians, as the Union once had. I will be more specific, the Macedonian issue is only one of a series of complex Balkan challenges for the Union.
Long behind us is the era of Jean Monnet, Jacques Delors, Helmut Kohl, Angela Merkel, Herman Van Rompuy and a constellation of statesmen whose visions and possibilities were far beyond the capacity of the current political nomenclature European, whose backgrounds and skills, esp. for solving problematic issues remain controversial. The problem of the integration of the Western Balkans, and here I emphasize above all the political bullying towards Macedonia, as well as allowing another destructive war on the European continent, confirm such attitudes.
We are aware that during the previous decades of the European Union’s work, the challenges have mostly been related to economic integration issues, such as the creation of a single market and a common currency. Although there have always been political tensions, the EU’s authority has often been strengthened by its role in maintaining stability and promoting cooperation in post-war Europe. Which is not the case today! Today, the situation has changed drastically due to a number of factors, leading to the emergence of a “crisis of authority figures”, which in turn refers to a situation where traditional sources of authority and leadership in society are challenged, undermined or decrease. Such a case of “crisis of authority” is visible in almost all the member states of the Union, I will not even talk about Macedonia. In our country, the authorities in politics have long been an extinct species?!
However! Recent developments including Brexit, the rise of Euroscepticism, the migration crisis and economic issues have tested the EU’s ability to maintain its political authority and unity as it faces leadership challenges and the emergence of strong political figures. .
National leaders of member states have considerable power and influence in their countries and they often prioritize domestic problems over European ones, which is generally a problem. Such political stratification created difficulties in finding the necessary consensus and coordination on EU-wide issues, hindering the enlargement process of the Western Balkan countries.
Declining trust in traditional institutions, such as government, media, and religious organizations, leads to skepticism toward individuals associated with these institutions. Scandals, corruption, misinformation and prejudice can contribute to this erosion of trust. The emergence and development of digital technology and social media platforms challenge the authority of established figures and institutions. Party divisions make it difficult for society to agree on problematic issues. Scandals or controversies, cases of unethical political behavior lower public confidence, creating a rather chaotic image of the society we live in, where authority is no longer the one we are used to.
We certainly live in interesting times where the things we have known are changing at the speed of light and it will take time for us to accept things as they are because we don’t want to change them our way? ! In the end, I will make a bureaucratic joke:
Why does a politician bring a ladder to an EU meeting? Because he heard that he had to “climb” in line, to find his authority!