The Future of the European Union

Abstract

Hope for a promising future is part of the attractiveness of the European Union, member states know whom and what scale of values they belong to, as well as the direction they are heading. At least, that is what outsiders think. Nevertheless, there are significant differences in perceptions of the European Union between those countries that are just becoming members and those that are already members. Hungary – together with the rest of the new member states – has just been over this change in perception. Since May 2004, the European Union has been playing a fundamentally different role in our lives than it did in the preceding period. However, neither the public, nor politicians comprehended this change yet. The Union is still referred to as a separate entity; whether it gives or denies, permits or rejects, prohibits or supports etc. It is seldom heard that “we” are the European Union or that we – primarily the government – are active participants in the Union’s decision-making process. According to an appropriate – and still valid – statement, “for the Hungarian political elite, the European Union is on the other side of the moon.” Nevertheless, Hungary as a member state has vital interests attached to which way the Union is heading. Europe has been seriously occupied with this question since the referendum in France on May 29, 2005, which is threatening with a constitutional crisis.