Twelve years after the end of World War Two – building on agreements made by shattered countries to improve their prospects by cooperating in the production and distribution of necessary but scarce materials (including coal and steel) –
The three core elements of this new association are all contained in its title. The EEC was a geographically logical grouping of neighbouring states; it was built on economic necessity and interdependence, and, from the very beginning, it was designed to foster common goals, the most notable of which were prosperity and security. The EEC was a practical and hard-headed proposition conceived in difficult times and brought to maturity over the course of two generations, during which it overcame new challenges and made the most of new opportunities.
Half a century on, I believe the signatories to the Treaty of Rome would stand amazed at just how successful the process they set in motion has been.
Twelve years after the end of the conflict here, the peoples of this country face many of the challenges faced by the citizens of
Today, in
Some people, including senior politicians, seem to believe that the project cannot succeed because of the disagreements, distrust and recrimination that have, unfortunately but understandably, been a continuing by-product of the war that ended a dozen years ago.
These people may be too young to remember the distrust and recrimination in the rest of
The statesmen who launched the EEC half a century ago were able to see beyond their immediate difficulties to the prospect of a prosperous and secure future. That’s what the leaders of
The founders of the EEC responded to the massive – sometimes almost insurmountable – challenges facing them, with common sense, with enlightened self-interest, with imagination, and with optimism.
If the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina can start showing these qualities – and I believe that they can – this country can embark on the same kind of rapid development that was experienced by the European Union’s founding members in the 1960s and more recently and at even greater speed by the latest group of countries to join. History doesn’t just happen – it has to be made.
Christian Schwarz-Schilling is the international community’s High Representative and the European Union’s Special Representative in