Wyniki wyszukiwania - BazTech

1

Idee zjednoczeniowe „Ojców Europy” w praktyce integracyjnej

Maksimiec S.

Zeszyty Naukowe AON

|

2013

|

nr 4(93)

72-112

EN

The main role in European integration process was played by prominent European politicians called „Fathers of Europe” or „Builders of European Unity”. The federalists predominated among them. They dreamed of common and strong European state similar to the United States. The prime minister of Great Britain – Winston Churchill in his reference to mutual tradition of European nations – inspired the possibility of creating the United Europe in Zurich on 19-th Sept. 1946. This project was supported by Robert Schuman, Konrad Adenauer, Paul Henri Spaak, Altiero Spinelli, and Alicide De Gasperi. Jean Monnet proposed a sector method when perceiving ineffectiveness of the original project. For this reason he suggested the concept of small steps in constructing European structure oriented toward tightening interstate links. This way, the first stage of this concept was implemented through linking French and German sectors of coal and steel. This proposal was supported by French Minister of Foreign Affairs – R. Schuman on 9 May 1951 and named by his surname. The creation of federal structure of Europe was the ambition of „Fathers of Europe”. However, strong reluctance of some states and politicians caused integration mainly in the area of economy. The dynamic political and economic integration occurred after appointing European Union in 1992 based upon federalism. At present the European Union is neither federation nor confederation, because each state possesses its own sovereignty and freedom in the sphere of international relations. In essence, the European Union has an institutionalized form of cooperation between states. Consequently, the European Union can be understood both as international organization and a specific union of states. The success of „Fathers of Europe” is the United Europe, which engulfs the majority of European states and tends to further enlargement. However, the progress in integration of European Union is significant, the process of limiting the role of national states in favor of European Commonwealth is yet a distant project.

2

Federalizm europejski XX wieku. Cz. 2, Założenia i realizacja

Maksimiec S.

Zeszyty Naukowe AON

|

2011

|

nr 1(82)

328-341

EN

Federalism in Europe was first introduced in the political system practice in Switzerland in 1848 where with little modifications it is functioning today. It effectively combines language and cultural diversity in the Swiss society, maintaining the unity and territorial integrity of the state. It has become a model for centralized countries with national and ethnic minorities who demand granting equal rights and ensuring their free development. It is perceived as a system that leads to internal security and protects a country torn apart by feuds against collapse. Belgium may serve as an example of such an activity whose federalization in 1993 protected the country against the breaking up into Flanders and Wallonia, also Spain and Italy that through regionalization chose an evolutionary road to gradual federalization respecting the rights of national and cultural minorities. In contrast, in former Yugoslavia non-democratic federalism led to the demise of the country, outbreak of nationalism and hatred among nations which resulted in bloody battles and ethnic cleansing. Federalism in totalitarian non-democratic states, such as the USSR, Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia was only an empty provision in their constitutions and a façade to legitimating the system. Therefore multinational states collapsed in new political conditions in Central and Eastern Europe after 1989 and new national states were established. Federalism in democratic states functions in a different way. It perfectly links national and cultural diversity with territorial unity and integrity of the state. It guarantees a broad autonomy to the federation’s components and free cultural development to national and ethnic minorities. Countries of federal structure such as Switzerland, the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria and Belgium, in spite of internal feuds, are the examples. The Russian Federation which was created on the ruins of the USSR significantly copies federal, Unitarian, territorial and ethnic structure of the former Soviet Union. Despite democratic constitutional premises, strong central power, headed by the president tends to restrain regional autonomy and centralize the state. In practice, it is not a democratic system and it does not guarantee a free development of federation’s components, national and ethnic groups and fair division of competence between central and regional government.

3

Federalizm europejski XX wieku : założenia i realizacja. Cz. 1

Maksimiec S.

Zeszyty Naukowe AON

|

2010

|

nr 3(80)

279-304

EN

Federalism is a political system consisting in the division of sovereignty (competence division) between a federation and its component (federation’s entities), bearing different names depending on the country. It assumes that the power and decision-making processes are taken as close to these communities as possible. Only those areas of social life undergo centralization where it is necessary. They include mainly foreign policy, defence policy and economic policy. This system connects national, ethnic and cultural diversity with the unity and integrality of the state. Federalism has been successfully functioning in the political system practice in the United States since the end of the 18th century. It became a model for many European politicians in the 20th century and was perceived as a system that leads to internal security, contributes to strengthening international security, international cooperation and exchange and economic development. It guarantees a wide autonomy to the federation members, freedom of cultural exchange for national and ethnic minorities, internal stability and security. It also fulfils political aspirations and provides opportunities for economic development. During World War I and between-the-wars-period, many concepts and plans of integrating European countries were presented basing on the principle of a federation or confederation on the continent scale or regional one that were to ensure peace and economic development in Europe. The most important of them comprise the plan of regional federation in Central Europe devised by Tomáš Masaryk, Józef Piłsudski’s federation conception, Richard Coudenhove-Kalergy’s Pan-European federation, Aristide Briand and Edouard Herriot’s idea of the United States of Europe. However, due to setting up totalitarian and authoritarian states and development of nationalism the realisation of these projects was doomed to fail. The World War II tragic experiences prompted the return of the plans of Europe’s federalization. The first realistic plans of after the war European integration were set up basing on the federation solutions’ premises. The climax and significant success of that political movement was the Congress of Europe held in the Hague in 1948 initiated by Winston Churchill. Nevertheless, the Council of Europe established by the Congress was deprived of supranational rights that in fact meant the defeat of the federalism advocates. That trend was fostered by western European integration organizations, the most important of which was the Union of European Federalists and European Parliamentary Union. The most active representatives of that idea included Altiero Spinelli, Konrad Adenauer, Walter Hallstein, Paul H. Spaak i Duncan Sandys. The integration of Europe after the war was dominated by functionalism that assumed gradual economic integration at the cost of political one. It led to setting up the European Union comprising 27 European states.