On May 5, an online academic seminar on European integration was held. The seminar, with the theme Crisis after Crisis: Problems of European Integration and Their Backgrounds, was sponsored by the European Integration History branch of the Chinese Association for European Studies (CAES) and organized by the Institute of Area Studies, PKU. Liu Zuokui, director of the Central and Eastern Europe Office of the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and deputy secretary general of the European Integration History branch, moderated the seminar.
Since the global financial crisis in 2008, Europe has faced various challenges, which have severely tested the integration process. In the seminar, experts and scholars held in-depth discussions on issues such as the ways the EU and its member states have chosen to resolve various crises and the driving force for the development of European integration.
The EU as a 'behavior community of nation-states'
Qian Chengdan, professor of history at Peking University and president of the European Integration History branch of CAES, gave the introduction. He said that the process of European integration has always been a hot topic in European studies in China. Under the background of the global spread of COVID-19, issues such as the measures taken by European countries to deal with the epidemic and the future direction of Europe have far-reaching academic and practical significance.
According to Prof. Qian, European integration does not refer to a process of transcending nation-state, but to the interaction between different countries and ethnic groups. In his view, the European Union is a “behavior community of nation-states”, which reflects the nature of the EU. In international affairs, the EU provides a platform for consultations among member states, and, through certain mechanisms, to reach a consensus on behavior. Qian mentioned an old saying in China, which goes “Share the blessings, share the difficulties.” However, as far as the current situation in the EU is concerned, all countries can share the blessings, but it is difficult to share the difficulties. As a particular manifestation of this, when Europe became the “epicenter” of the COVID-19 epidemic, in March, the failure of different countries to reach a consensus on a joint response to the epidemic is a typical example, he said.
Shen Yannan, vice-president of the European Integration History branch, research fellow of the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and research fellow at the National Strategy Institute, Tsinghua University, argued that, after World War II, in establishing the European Community as well as today’s EU, European countries only adopted new ways of cooperation. Their cooperation did not seek to establish a United States of Europe.
The dilemma faced by European integration
In the seminar, the dilemma of European integration was discussed by the partipating experts and scholars. Feng Zhongping, vice-president of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, expressed his view that European integration had encountered great resistance in recent years. First, the increase in member states has been a double-edged sword for the EU. Its eastward expansion did have the effect of expanding the influence of the EU, but the concomitant differences between countries also increased. Countries have different interests, and it is very difficult to realize the unified transfer of sovereignty. For example, the differences between the newly joined Central and Eastern European countries and “old Europe” on the refugee issue have been very obvious. At the same time, the original differences in interests within the EU have not converged but become more divided, which are particularly seen in the differences between southern European countries and northern European countries. The epidemic has further exposed this difference. Second, populism is on the rise. And third, there has been insufficient momentum for development, Feng said.
Shen Yannan argued that the dilemma of European integration is widespread in Europe. This is mainly reflected in three aspects. First, a core member state, namely, Britain, has withdrawn from the EU. Brexit has filled the EU’s future with more uncertainties. Second, various crises have affected Europe one after another. For example, the European debt crisis, economic crisis, refugee crisis and populism have had a huge impact on the economic and social stability of EU. At the same time, the North-South contradiction and the East-West contradiction have affected the unity of European countries, and some member countries have formed different interest groups. And finally, great changes have taken place in the international environment in which Europe is located. The current reality is very different from the international environment after the World War II, and this has further affected the security of Europe, he said.
Chen Xiaolü, vice-president of the European Integration History branch and professor of the Department of History, Nanjing University, explained the three issues of European integration. First, the definition of territory. The controversy focuses on whether Russia and Turkey belong to Europe. Geographically, the two countries are located on the Eurasian continent, which is the junction of Europe and Asia. From a cultural point of view, Russia, Turkey and Europe have both similarities and differences. Many factors complicate the definition of the European continent. Second, the definition of members. Besides membership, issues such as whether immigrants are citizens of the new country and whether they can enjoy the same treatment as the citizens of the new country are controversial topics faced by the governments. And third, how to deal with the complicated international situation. The purpose of European integration is to ensure peace among European countries. As the international situation becomes more complicated and the competition among big countries becomes more intense, how to ensure their own security and how to cooperate with big powers are issues that European countries need to focus on in the future. According to Chen Xiaolü, in an open world, European countries should not maintain a negative attitude, but actively cooperate with big powers to promote mutual benefit and win-win development.
Lei Jianfeng, an associate professor from the China Foreign Affairs University, analyzed the challenges faced by European integration from the perspective of scientific and technological revolution. According to Lei, historically, the development of Europe was closely related to the Industrial Revolution, and so was European integration. However, the Fourth Industrial Revolution has greatly impacted Europe. Europe has clearly not been able to keep up with the pace of the Fourth Scientific and Technological Revolution, which, together with the lack of science and technology, market and labor force, has caused Europe to fall behind rapidly. With the new development of science and technology in the US and some emerging countries, the disadvantage of Europe in the global competition has become more prominent. Prof. Lei further argued that the weakening of science and technology in Europe has also led to the weakening of cohesion.
Prospects for European Integration Still Optimistic
Although the process of European integration has encountered unprecedented challenges, experts and scholars are optimistic about its prospects. They believe that the current challenges facing the EU will not split European countries and the continuation of European integration is of great significance to the world.
Feng Zhongping put forward three possibilities for the prospects of EU. First, there will be a dual-speed Europe. Some European countries will take the lead on the road to integration, while others will move on the slow track or wait until the right time to join the fast track. Second, voluntary alliance. Different countries will form voluntary alliances in different fields according to their different interests and interests. And third, the EU will maintain its current development status. Feng expressed his view that all the above possibilities exist. Speaking of the future development of European integration, he argued that finding new impetus for development is the key to promoting integration.
Prof. Jia Wenhua from the School of Political Science and Public Administration, China University of Political Science and Law, argued that in recent years, the intensification of conflicts of interest among EU member states has hindered the integration process. He also said that conflicts of interest among member states may impact the system, but will not lead to the collapse of integration. He expressed his belief that the EU needs to analyze the different situations of different countries and the different problems and specific problems facing Europe, and gradually solve the problems according to the actual situation and existing capabilities. Countries need to establish consultation mechanisms and strengthen cooperation on the basis of mutual trust, Jia said.
Shen Yannan argued that European integration will continue to develop. He said that European integration conforms to the trend of globalization, but the form and content of integration will change. At the same time, the interests of most European countries can be met within the framework of integration. If they leave the integration framework, it will be difficult for these countries to make achievements independently on the world stage, so there will be no obvious division. He also opined that different countries may regroup in the future, which is a development trend.
Xu Lan, a professor in the School of History of Capital Normal University and vice-president of the European Integration History Branch, said that European integration and globalization are developing almost simultaneously, and globalization has further deepened the development of European integration. Therefore, the trend of integration is irreversible. As for the current situation of European integration, Xu Lan argued that European countries are developing in equality, interaction and integration. These three factors reflect the essence of European integration. At present, European countries have a lot of interactions, but conflicts of interest make it difficult for countries to blend. Therefore, how to promote the blending of countries is the key to solve the integration problem. Prof. Xu said that the future trend of European integration depends on the willing transfer of some of their sovereignty by sovereign countries, which is at the root of the tension in European integration. How different countries transfer, what benefits will be transferred, and the degree of acceptance of the transfer will play a key role. Under such circumstances, what the EU needs to pay attention to is how to build a framework that can protect national sovereignty and is aligned with the interests of the vast number of European countries, she said.
Chen Zhirui, executive editor of Foreign Affairs Review, said that European integration has allowed major European countries to become more developed and provided a platform for some small and medium-sized countries to meet their interests. Therefore, we should not be pessimistic about integration. To the world, a united Europe is not only conducive to stabilizing world peace, but also of positive significance to global development, he said.
Zhao Huaipu, director of the European Studies Center, China Foreign Affairs University, expressed his view that European integration will not completely stagnate. Although multiple crises and challenges have dragged down the process of European integration and the development of the EU, the existing strengths of the EU, including some institutional arrangements, as well as a wide range of multi-field common policies and many flexible measures, make it possible that the EU still has material basis, institutional tools and policy means needed to cope with the crises and challenges, he said.
Strengthen European Studies from Various Aspects and Angles
Besides European integration, how to deepen domestic European studies was also a problem discussed by the participating experts and scholars. Jiang Nan, research fellow at the Institute of World History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, found from the response by European governments to the epidemic that the ways in which different countries respond to the epidemic reflect the differences in their national conditions, cultures and psychological quality. These three aspects will affect the future development of European research, he said.
Chen Zhiqiang analyzed two development models in Europe. The first is the Anglo-Saxon model. This model is oriented around market economy and theoretically based on individualism and liberalism. It especially emphasizes free competition and the mobility of the labor market. Workers enjoy legally-guaranteed minimum labor income and social welfare. This model is a representative of the development of capitalism. The second model is Rhineland Capitalism, which puts forward development strategies according to the actual situation of different countries. Chen argued that most European countries are advocates of Rhine Capitalism. How to study the influence of the two on the development of Europe and how to find the similarities and differences between the two are topics worth discussing in the future, he said.
Jia Wenhua argued that in order to make further research on European integration, the study of the current situation of European integration should not only focus on the Brexit and Bremain groups, but also make further research on the ideas of the centrists. Understanding the centrists is a problem that needs to be paid attention to in the future study of European integration.
Chen Zhirui argued that future European studies can focus on three aspects. First, researchers should re-recognize European studies, especially the construction of the relationship between Britain and Europe after Brexit. In addition, researchers should also pay attention to the definition of European territory and study Europe in multiple dimensions, such as legal, cultural, psychological, emotional and other dimensions. Second, the studies of Europe should pay attention to the international dimension. He said that changes within Europe need to be paid attention to in the future. At present, European integration is developing toward regionalization and fragmentation. These aspects are issues worthy of attention in the future. From a global perspective, the construction of relations and exchanges and cooperation between Europe and major powers are worth studying in the future. Third, researcher should pay attention to interdisciplinary studies. In the future, we should study European politics, economy, society and culture in different disciplines, he said.
Xu Lan argued from the perspective of global history research that global history opposes Western centralism and emphasizes horizontal interaction. She expressed her view that European integration is the best embodiment of the development of global history, and studying European integration through global history will bring more new viewpoints and theories.
Prof. Qian Chengdan delivered the closing speech for the seminar. He said that in the future, European integration needs to be studied from different angles, and only through analysis of different states in different periods can we have different opinions and different evaluations.
