April 2004
Is Europe for Christians Only?

Joshua Muravchik, Rafael R. Barak, Zeyno Baran, Radek Sikorski, Denis Chaibi, Stephen Nix

The European Union will expand its ranks by ten on May 1, but there is no agreement on the union's ultimate boundaries. Is the union a construct ultimately rooted in the shared history and values of Latin Christianity--an idea which the union itself vociferously denies? Should membership be limited to countries whose territory geographically lies in Europe? Or should any country that meets the democratic, economic, and legal criteria be eligible to join? Ukraine, Turkey, and Israel are three countries that meet some--but not all--of the defined conditions. Should they hope for membership? Will they ever be admitted? On April 8, the New Atlantic Initiative hosted a discussion on these issues, and began it with a keynote speech by Norman Davies, the author of Europe--A History. 

Norman Davies
Keynote speaker
 
Europe has always been a diverse continent. Christianity has had a strong influence on European history, but Judaism, Islam, and paganism also contributed to the creation of European civilization. While the separation of church and state--a Christian doctrine--has been a core principle for the development of European constitutionalism, the modern decline in religious practice in Europe has left many churches deserted, and Christian Europe is now more a myth than a reality. The European identity cannot be defined by religion alone, and this is what makes the European Union so appealing to a variety of neighboring countries. Ultimately the EU will encompass the southern shores of the Mediterranean, including Turkey and Israel, as well as Ukraine to the north. Armenia and Georgia have their roots in Europe as well, and the continent's unification will likely end with the Caucasus. Russia, however, has a separate identity and will not join the Union.
 
Denis Chaïbi
Yale University

Europe is based on the principle of diversity. There are roughly 4.5 million Muslims living in France and a total of 13.6 million in Europe, so it is difficult to say that Christianity is the source of Europe's modern identity. European integration means evolving beyond the concept of sovereignty and borders, and this applies to religious identity, as well. The EU is currently developing its neighborhood policy to share the economic advantages of free trade with states on the EU periphery, which can be done without further enlargement.

Zeyno Baran
Nixon Center

Turkey is an official candidate for EU accession and has fulfilled the necessary criteria- contrary to the belief in Brussels that Turkey would never be so bold in political modernization and democratization. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara has pushed through tremendous political reforms to attain EU membership. If the EU ultimately rejects Ankara's membership, the Turkish people would be devastated. Islamic extremists could use this moment of uncertainty to replace the ruling elite of radical secularists. Turkish proponents of the secular state use French secularists as a model, which is ironic, considering significant French opposition to Turkey's EU membership.

Stephen Nix
International Republican Institute

Ukraine has been unable to define concretely its strategic position within the Eurasian geopolitical entity and has continued to waiver between the Russian and European spheres of influence. The outcome of the presidential elections later this year will be crucial in determining whether Ukraine will look to the East or to the West. So far, the constituency for Ukraine's entry into the European Union is weak, and the European Union--already facing the challenges of the current wave of enlargement and trying to consolidate its internal cohesion--is not ready to look further east. Moreover, continuing human rights violations and attacks on civil society by the Ukrainian government over the last several years have weakened Ukraine's position in talks with the EU.  If Ukraine wants to be serious about membership, they will have to work hard to meet the standards set by the EU.

Rafael R. Barak
Embassy of Israel
 
Israel is culturally and historically linked to Europe. It is also closely connected economically-more than 30 percent of its exports go to the EU. Politically, Israel cooperates with the European Union on a variety of issues, most notably on the Wider Europe framework, which defines Europe's policy vis-à-vis its neighbors. However, the government of Israel is not planning to apply for membership in the EU. The resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dominates domestic Israeli politics, and while Israel wishes Europe were more helpful in mediating this process, economic relations with the European Union will nevertheless remain a more prominent aspect of Israel's policy.
 
Joshua Muravchik
AEI
 
The ultimate question of outermost boundaries of the European border pertains to whether an integrated and enlarged Europe will be a partner or a rival to the United States. It is most likely that the further Europe expands, the less it will be able to compete with the influence of the United States. Also, the entry of ten new members will further dilute the influence of the Franco-German directorate; the Atlanticism of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe will balance anti-American tendencies.