Wise Move?

What do people do when they don't know what to do? They seek out advice. That goes both for private individuals and for businesses, which hire consultancy firms. It is also a long established practice in politics. Numerous commissions of experts advise ministries and parliaments during the legislative process.

What is new is that leading politicians are clearly at a loss when it comes to the future of the European Union. How else can you explain the fact that the French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for a "council of wise men" to decide on such questions as to how far the EU should expand and upon what basis.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has given her support to the proposal, but she probably did it with gritted teeth, as a favor to Nicolas Sarkozy.

Just a few weeks ago when Germany was still holder of the EU presidency, the German chancellor made clear that what was needed was action rather than yet more consultation, ideas and draft papers. Europe's leading politicians have managed to talk around the question of where the frontiers of Europe lie. And now wise men and women without political office or mandate should, of all people, take over this task? This is a political decision for democratically elected heads of government.

The last huge consultation project involving the EU went badly wrong. Lessons should be learned from that. In the end, no one took any notice of the European Convention. This was composed of a lot of wise people from Europe who got together to create a European Constitution. The constitution failed. What remains of it, which is now in circulation as a new mini-treaty, could end up going the same way because of opposition from Poland and Britain. The best of advice is useless if the politicians are not prepared to listen and to act upon it.

Neither the French president, who exudes self-confidence, nor the German chancellor, who tends to pragmatism, give the impression that they would like to listen to the advice of eminent experts whose names have not yet been revealed.

There is something else lurking behind all of this. Mr. Sarkozy made this proposal in a foreign policy speech because he wants to keep his election promise of stopping Turkey from becoming a full EU member. Sarkozy expects the advisers to make a proposal along those lines in 2009, the year of the European elections.

The German chancellor has agreed because Sarkozy has threatened to block all further negotiations with Turkey and to be obstructive in foreign policy issues, if he doesn't get his "council of wise men." This was basically a case of barely concealed political blackmail.

A feeling of helplessness is spreading among the foreign ministers of the EU member states. They didn't really get anywhere during their meeting in Portugal. The 27 EU members could not reach consensus about the constitution or the controversial question of Kosovo's future status. But this is not because of a lack of wisdom or resolution. It is mainly down to the fact that some governments lack the political will to live out European solidarity and community.

The EU Commission and diplomats in Brussels are extremely skeptical about the call for a "council of wise men." How should this body be made up and what should its mandate be? Who should choose its members and who is meant to formulate its tasks?

The heads of state and government should be wise enough to see the folly of Sarkozy's and Merkel's request and tell them: We can shape the future of Europe ourselves. As Goethe put it: Enough words have been exchanged; Now, at last, let me see some deeds!

Bernd Riegert is a DW-RADIO correspondent in Brussels (jg)