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Geopolitics

Croatia Makes It 28! But An Ever-Expanding EU Comes With Big Risks

Latest but not last: Zagreb is Europe's latest star
Latest but not last: Zagreb is Europe's latest star
Jacques Hubert-Rodier

PARIS - More than decade after the end of the Balkan wars, Croatia has become the 28th member of the European Union as of Monday, July 1, 2013. This is undoubtedly a positive sign for Europe as the old continent faces a new wave of euro-skepticism.

Europe remains attractive despite the rise of individual nationalisms. This new membership, following Slovenia, is also another way to offer closure after Europe's failure to end the terrible massacres in the former Yugoslavia without the decisive intervention of the United States.

So what happens next?

Everyone knows this won’t be the last member to join the EU. Serbia wants to open adhesion negotiations in January and Kosovo hopes it will soon be granted a Stabilisation and Association Agreement, the first step towards adhesion. The other applicants are Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania.

[rebelmouse-image 27087084 alt="""" original_size="680x520" expand=1]

Ever-expanding Europe - Source: Kolja21

Meanwhile, Iceland has already started negotiating for membership -- and Georgia, Ukraine and Armenia are all dreaming of joining the Union. And we should not forget the particular case of Turkey.

Yet, the EU may face traps if it keeps expanding. The union is already mostly ungovernable in the face of its 27 members. Every single matter from Europe’s budget to the European Commission's mandate to – finally - start negotiations on a free-trade agreement with the U.S. inevitably leads to internal arguments among members. The EU has never been able to find an agreement on the war in Syria. So how will it be able to make decisions with a single voice in front of America, China, Russia or even India?

Of course, as far as money’s concerned, the integration of the countries of former Yugoslavia would only cost 10 billion euros to the European budget. But there is still a great divide in lifestyles between those countries and the rest of the Union. For many of the new applicants, joining the EU is considered more like a renewal of their commitment towards the Atlantic Alliance -- not a sudden awareness of a true European identity.

The old continent is slipping towards a Europe with variable geometry, including countries that should have been integrated with the first 17 of the euro single currency zone (a process that is still very problematic), the 22 of the Schengen area (a flawed area as well) and the others.

The EU needs to finally settle its borders and redefine its raison d’être. Even if today, by welcoming Croatia, it can brag again a bit about fulfilling the objective of its founding fathers: “Make peace reign in Europe.”

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Economy

Lex Tusk? How Poland’s Controversial "Russian Influence" Law Will Subvert Democracy

The new “lex Tusk” includes language about companies and their management. But is this likely to be a fair investigation into breaking sanctions on Russia, or a political witch-hunt in the business sphere?

Photo of President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda

Polish President Andrzej Duda

Piotr Miaczynski, Leszek Kostrzewski

-Analysis-

WARSAW — Poland’s new Commission for investigating Russian influence, which President Andrzej Duda signed into law on Monday, will be able to summon representatives of any company for inquiry. It has sparked a major controversy in Polish politics, as political opponents of the government warn that the Commission has been given near absolute power to investigate and punish any citizen, business or organization.

And opposition politicians are expected to be high on the list of would-be suspects, starting with Donald Tusk, who is challenging the ruling PiS government to return to the presidency next fall. For that reason, it has been sardonically dubbed: Lex Tusk.

University of Warsaw law professor Michal Romanowski notes that the interests of any firm can be considered favorable to Russia. “These are instruments which the likes of Putin and Orban would not be ashamed of," Romanowski said.

The law on the Commission for examining Russian influences has "atomic" prerogatives sewn into it. Nine members of the Commission with the rank of secretary of state will be able to summon virtually anyone, with the powers of severe punishment.

Under the new law, these Commissioners will become arbiters of nearly absolute power, and will be able to use the resources of nearly any organ of the state, including the secret services, in order to demand access to every available document. They will be able to prosecute people for acts which were not prohibited at the time they were committed.

Their prerogatives are broader than that of the President or the Prime Minister, wider than those of any court. And there is virtually no oversight over their actions.

Nobody can feel safe. This includes companies, their management, lawyers, journalists, and trade unionists.

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