Situation in EU “resembles that in former Yugoslavia”

LJUBLJANA A bitter fight of large EU member states over the EU’s budget slightly resembles relations between republics in the former Yugoslavia, a Slovenian daily writes. “Everything resembles the solving of a financial crisis in the former Yugoslav federation a little. The members started an argument about a fund for underdeveloped republics and provinces even though the fund itself was not a problem at all,” Ljubljana-based daily Delo has reported. Situation in EU “resembles that in former Yugoslavia” A debate on who was taking advantage of whom followed and it “unleashed national egoism of the three key republics and there was no way out in the end other than to break up”, the daily writes. “If small EU member states do not force Paris, London and Berlin to sit down at the same table and if they do not agree on a budget framework for a period between 2014 and 2020, things will not look good for the European Union. If there is no solidary distribution of the budget, it will bring the Union one step closer to a break up,” Delo points out. Instead of bringing the three key EU states closer together, the crisis has deepened the differences between them and they have started to threaten each other with veto, withdrawal or even expulsion from the EU. Germany, France and Great Britain are at odds. As countries that contribute the most to the EU budget they want cuts to be made but on the other hand they are protecting their privileges. According to the daily, it is nothing new that every member state is concerned about its own funds but it was much easier to harmonize their interest and reach agreements before the crisis when there was enough money and when they knew what kind of future the EU wanted to build with its enlargement policy. “The crisis has significantly altered the situation and therefore a monopoly game played during the adoption of the budget is no longer just a ritual but also a fight for money and for Europe’s future image,” the Slovenian daily concluded. (Beta/AP) Tanjug

Situation in EU “resembles that in former Yugoslavia”

A debate on who was taking advantage of whom followed and it “unleashed national egoism of the three key republics and there was no way out in the end other than to break up”, the daily writes.

“If small EU member states do not force Paris, London and Berlin to sit down at the same table and if they do not agree on a budget framework for a period between 2014 and 2020, things will not look good for the European Union. If there is no solidary distribution of the budget, it will bring the Union one step closer to a break up,” Delo points out.

Instead of bringing the three key EU states closer together, the crisis has deepened the differences between them and they have started to threaten each other with veto, withdrawal or even expulsion from the EU.

Germany, France and Great Britain are at odds. As countries that contribute the most to the EU budget they want cuts to be made but on the other hand they are protecting their privileges.

According to the daily, it is nothing new that every member state is concerned about its own funds but it was much easier to harmonize their interest and reach agreements before the crisis when there was enough money and when they knew what kind of future the EU wanted to build with its enlargement policy.

“The crisis has significantly altered the situation and therefore a monopoly game played during the adoption of the budget is no longer just a ritual but also a fight for money and for Europe’s future image,” the Slovenian daily concluded.