Functions of this kind can hardly be called fateful. Nevertheless, the tenth Central European summit, concluded in the Austrian city of Salzburg on May 23, is certain to be recorded in the annals of history, if only because next year Federal President Thomas Klestil of Austria will see the end of his term as organizer and inspirer of an informal exchange of opinions on a wide range of issues (from security to cultural cooperation) at the summit level.
It will be recalled that the first Salzburg summit was held on May 22- 23, 1993, when it was attended by the presidents of Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Germany. In fact, nobody could even imagine at the time that, a decade later, the jubilee summit would be represented by the leaders of seventeen Central European countries, including Albania, Moldova, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, etc.
The last Salzburg meeting was also special in that most of the attending presidents, by force of the political system of their countries, lack the power to make serious political decisions. It will be worthwhile to quote here the President of Ukraine’s admission that he “felt himself not a schoolboy, as before, but as an equal among equals” during the discussion on Central Europe’s future structure.
The presidents exchanged opinions on a parity basis. Incidentally, while three of them (of Italy, Austria, and Germany) represented the European Union, another five were from the countries going to join the EU very soon. Leonid Kuchma again confirmed Ukraine’s political choice, its strategic course toward integration into Europe, at the summit. Conversely, asked when Ukraine is going to become at least an associate EU member, Thomas Klestil, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and Johannes Rau failed to give a clear answer.
On the other hand, Mr. Kuchma quoted Thomas Klestil as “frankly saying he sees Ukraine as an associate member and that it is impossible to build a safe European house without Ukraine.” According to the Ukrainian President, his counterparts from the neighboring countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania) spoke in the same vein. “As time goes by, we are changing and becoming entirely different. What was impossible yesterday and is doubtful today will be a reality tomorrow,” the Ukraine’s head of state said. He emphasized that “nobody is going to break away from Russia today.” In Mr. Kuchma’s words, European business circles have viewed positively Ukraine’s intention to join the WTO and even suggested holding a WTO conference in Ukraine. Our Austrian colleagues explained, however, in quite simple terms that half of all Austrians are extremely cautious about the eastward expansion of united Europe. Incidentally, Germany shows almost the same percentage of supporters and opponents of EU enlargement. Moreover, the word “east” applies here not to Ukraine but to the countries now de facto and in a year’s time de jure EU members.
And, although President Klestil commented that it is, above all, residents of his country’s eastern regions who exercise caution about the European Union’s eastward expansion, there are ample grounds to believe that EU expansion will have clear territorial limits. In other words, we understood that the geographically European Ukraine, which has made its choice, must follow the European integration course in deeds and not mere words. President Kuchma also said the same. Tellingly, summit organizers were rather critical of this country’s position on its way to Europe. The Calling Card of Ukraine they issued claims that “Ukraine is a state which often follows a dual course. The Ukrainian economy is still heavily dependent on Russia and ‘oligarchs’ who have fundamental influence on the government and display little interest in the reforms indispensable for establishing relations with the EU and NATO. Moreover, President Kuchma’s administration has to be cautious and take into account the clear polarization between the country’s pro-Russian east and the Europe- oriented west.” Although this wording may be questionable, this is the way Austria seems to see Ukraine. And the European Union does not want this kind of Ukraine.
