Eurosphere

Cited Eurosphere:

The Eurosphere or the European Empire[1] is a concept associated with the public intellectual Mark Leonard,[2] Oxford University academic Jan Zielonka,[1] the European Union Director-General for Politico-Military Affairs Robert Cooper;[3] and the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.[4]

Over the past 50 years, the European Union has expanded from the 6 founding members to 28; additionally there are 8 candidate and potential candidate countries waiting to join. A number of Western European countries are integrated economically, as part of the Union's single market or using its single currency. Through its High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy it has the capability to speak with one voice in the world and has association and free trade agreements with a large number of states; through the European Neighbourhood Policy and Union for the Mediterranean (developed from the Barcelona process) it is creating closer ties with countries on its borders, while developing ties with former colonies, now the ACP countries.

Membership in particular has seen a great deal of reform in countries seeking to join, for example the huge reforms seen in Turkey such as the abolition of capital punishment.[5] The development of the Union's influence, and the draw of membership, has been the subject of a number of academic writings. Mark Leonard describes the area of EU influence as the "Eurosphere".

Countries within the Eurosphere

EU regional initiatives; current enlargement agenda (SAP and candidate countries), ENP; Eastern Partnership, Euromediterranean Partnership and EU-Russia Common Spaces

According to Mark Leonard (as of 2004), the Eurosphere includes 109 countries. In Europe, these were the then-25 member states of the EU, applicant countries to the EU, the Western Balkans, and European Commonwealth of Independent States countries (including Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, and transcontinental Kazakhstan). Curiously he does not mention Western European countries such as Norway who are already integrated into the EU's single market. Outside Europe, he lists every African country and every Middle Eastern country, as well as the countries forming the eastern border of the Eurosphere like Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Central Asia.[6]

Other countries that could be said to be within the Eurosphere might include European countries belonging to the European Economic Area such as Iceland, states using the euro such as San Marino and Monaco, or the Union's overseas territories such as Greenland and the EU's outermost regions in the Caribbean, South Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Southern Oceans. The above mentioned groups have strong economic and political links with the EU.

Quotes

See also

Notes and references

    1. 1 2 Zielonka, J. (2006), Europe as Empire, Oxford University Press: Oxford.
    2. ↑ Leonard, M. (2005), Why Europe will run the 21st century, Fourth Estate: London.
    3. ↑ Cooper, R. (2003), The Breaking of Nations, Atlantic Books: London.
    4. ↑ http://www.globalpowereurope.eu/2007/07/birth-of-new-rome.html
    5. ↑ EU-Turkey relations Archived July 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. euractiv.com
    6. ↑ Leonard, M. Why Europe will run the 21st century (2004, Fourth Estate). Appendix: p.145-146.

    Further reading

    • Ankerl, Guy (2000). Global communication without universal civilization. INU societal research. Vol.1: Coexisting contemporary civilizations : Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. Geneva: INU Press. ISBN 2-88155-004-5.
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