Welcome and Introduction into the Aims of the Seminar
by
Heinz-Werner Arens, President of the State Parliament of Schleswig-
Holstein,
on the occasion of the
Intercultural Training
on 10 and 11 April 2003 at the Hotel Hohe Wacht in Hohwacht/ Baltic
Sea
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Dear Professor Olsen, dear Professor Synak, dear Dr. Liedholm, my dear colleagues, dear
participants in this specialist conference,
I’m delighted that I’m able to welcome guests from Pomerania, Schonen, Sønderjylland,
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Schleswig-Holstein to this beautiful seaside resort of
Hohwacht for two days of intercultural training. The group of participants closely mirrors the
axes of cooperation in the Southwestern Baltic Sea region, which is no accident because the
State of Schleswig-Holstein maintains partnerships with all the regions represented at this
seminar.
Today’s seminar was organized within the scope of the partnership agreement existing
between the State Parliament of Schleswig-Holstein and the Pomeranian Region Parliament.
By this agreement, which was signed on the 5th of September 2001, the two parliaments
declare their intention
- to support the forthcoming accession of the Republic of Poland to the European Union,
- to initiate joint interregional projects and
- to create a network of partnerships with other Baltic Sea regions.
In today’s seminar we want to follow this charted course together, taking a step on the road
towards European integration and interregional partnership.
1. Enlargement of the EU
The coming accession of ten new member states is the single most important act in the field of
foreign policy that the European Union has ever undertaken. This enlargement will only be
successful if the EU carries out fundamental institutional reforms. The European Convention
is currently working on a draft constitution that aims to make the European decision-making
process more transparent, simpler and easier to understand for its citizens. This involves a
clear-cut delineation of powers within the European multi-tiered system, more democracy and
greater stability of the law. The convention will point out the scope and the limits of what is
actually feasible and it will spell out where Europe is headed. The debate about values and
about the finality of the process of European integration is more topical than ever today.
Enlarging the membership of the EU from 15 to 25 states does not only represent an act of
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foreign policy and institutional significance, it is first and foremost also an act sociopolitical
import.
Large and small countries, old and new members, rich and poor regions are all part of Europe.
And all of us are Europeans. We are not only joining together bodies politic but also societies
and people. The desire for European integration and a determination to contribute to its
success will help us in our endeavor. If Europe does not win the hearts of the people, then
institutional reform and, indeed, the entire process of integration will be futile.
1.1 The Accession of the Republic of Poland to the European Union
The Republic of Poland’s accession to the European Union is near at hand. Last December at
their summit in Copenhagen the European heads of state decided that the European Union be
enlarged by ten new members. It was said that this was a great day for Europe. The largest
Polish daily newspaper commented on the summit’s results as follows: “Generally we tend to
shun bathos, but here our voice rings with emotion and hope as we say: A very good thing has
come to pass in Poland, our fatherland. We have arrived in democratic Europe. The dream of
several generations of Polish people has come true, whose persevering minds knocked down
the walls of totalitarian dictatorship. We express our gratitude to everyone who contributed to
bringing this about – this is our joint accomplishment, a success for all of Polish democracy”
(Gazeta Wyborcza).
Despite those successful negotiations in Copenhagen, the latest governmental crisis in Poland
was evidently unavoidable. The heart of the matter is that the direct assistance, which the EU
will pay Polish farmers after accession, will be lower than the assistance provided to farmers
in the old member states. At the Copenhagen summit the EU did agree that Poland could top
up these subsidies from its own budget, which was considered a major success of the
negotiations not only by Poland but others as well. However, due to the tight budget situation,
Poland’s Minister of Finance feels that it’s impossible to exhaust the permissible amount
fully. The co-governing Farmer’s Party, which was about to be torn apart, provoked the end
of the coalition. As a result, Prime Minister Miller is currently heading a minority government
in Poland. Of course, stable minority governments do exist and our friends from Scandinavia
could tell us a thing or two about them. But nevertheless, we are a little concerned about this
development in view of the decisions that are immediately ahead of us:
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In a few days, on April 16, to be precise, the Accession Treaty is going to be signed formally
at the Summit in Athens. Afterwards the member states will begin the ratification procedures.
If everything works out as planned the Accession Treaty could be put into force on the first of
May 2004.
So what is the situation like in the future member countries? In Malta and Slovenia a majority
of the voters have already decided in favor of joining the EU. Approximately 60 percent of
the Polish population currently advocates their country’s EU membership, if recent opinion
polls are to be trusted. But in light of the latest developments, the outcome of the referendum
on June 8 still seems to be quite uncertain.
The political course has been set, but that in itself is not enough. The remaining uncertainty
primarily depends on the expectations and doubts that the people living in the future member
states but also in the old ones still have about European integration.
1.2 Expectations and doubts of the citizens in the current and future member states
1.2.1 Future members
Many people in the future member states are afraid that joining the EU will automatically be
associated with a loss of national sovereignty and national or regional identity. The EU’s
complicated legal framework holds out little hope that one will be able to influence or really
understand the decisions taken at the European level.
Competitive pressures in the economic sector call for reforms and adaptations that have
brought about massive changes in Central and Eastern Europe. Not every group of society
will have an equal share of the benefits afforded by these new opportunities. Established
forms of security have disintegrated and social differences have become more pronounced.
The budget of the EU is no real indicator of the actual costs of enlargement. The future
member states have already been experiencing the far-reaching consequences of this
adaptation process.
Although political circles generally acknowledge that the future member states were quite
successful in negotiating the terms of their accession, the EU as negotiating party was
nevertheless harshly criticized at times.
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Concerning a wide range of issues, ranging from the agricultural commodities market, over
budgetary matters to the agreed upon transitional regulations, the new members are concerned
that they won’t be considered equal partners even after joining the EU, but rather will be
regarded or possibly even treated as second-class citizens.
1.2.2 Current members
Compared to that situation what are the expectations like in countries currently belonging to
the EU?
From the citizen’s point of view one of the most serious issues related to the enlargement of
the EU is their personal security. Will the risk of crime and illegal immigration be on the rise
in an enlarged union? Will the standards for consumer protection and particularly for food be
lowered and will there be more environmental problems, concerning the dangers associated
with nuclear power plants, for example?
How are we going to overcome the economic and social differences existing between the old
and the new member states? Will the free movement of workers cause a disproportionate
influx of migrant workers?
Insufficient knowledge about the actual situation in the respective countries often is one of the
root causes of these anxieties. And one aspect applies to everyone concerned both in the old
and new member states: We need to know more about each other and we need to learn from
each other. We need to talk and we need to and build up confidence in one another. This
seminar is a step in that direction. It is meant to help rid us of long-standing misconceptions
and throw stereotypes overboard. Setting political goals is not enough to reach our overall
aim. What we need are personal contacts, meetings and human relations. The heart of the
matter is that we need to make posts, titles and functions come alive, giving them a human
face.
2. Intercultural differences regarding manners and behavioral patterns
There’s still a lot to be done in this field, which becomes quite obvious if we just look at how
uncertain we are when we are dealing with the respective customs and manners of our
European neighbors. And there are big differences. Let me just give you a couple of examples
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that are taken from a handbook published by the Association of German Chambers of
Industry and Commerce called “Managerknigge” – meaning as much as “Mr. Manners for
Managers” – an international ABC of successful conduct”.
Under the heading greeting in Poland you will find the following and I quote: “ Here we’ll
find out who’s a real gentlemen: kissing a lady’s hand still is normal behavior in Poland, even
with younger people and irrespective of social status. One hints at it just above the hand. Men
shake hands; if they are acquaintances or friends they tend to hug more often than we do in
Germany. All in all, manners are more courteous and cordial. One tends to be on a first-name
basis earlier than here, even if one continues using the more formal way of addressing each
other. At the same time, academic and professional titles like Professor, Engineer, Director
play an important part and should be used in the salutation, be it written or oral.”
As far as Denmark goes the Managerknigge tells us that “our neighbor to the North is a proud
people guarding its own identity…Danish people have proved again and again that they have
a mind of their own especially regarding issues of European integration, for example in
connection with the tug-of-war about the Treaty of Maastricht and their rejection of the
European Monetary Union … Danes keep a friendly and critical distance towards Germans.
… Nowadays it’s tourists who primarily shape the image of Germany. Germans shouldn’t
keep providing new fodder for clichés like their predilection for building sandcastles and even
fencing them in, for wanting to buy every single holiday home, or for taking along food and
spirits in their cars in order to save money.”
“Danes often use the informal address “you” early on, often in combination with the last name
or they use the first name straightaway. Some Danes are a little irritated if they are addressed
with the formal “Sie”. Just wait and see how the Danes address you.”
“You can hardly overdo saying thank you in Denmark. Express your thanks when greeting a
person, when saying goodbye, when writing a note later on and when meeting again. But
mind you: use every variant. This is where you use the well-known “tak for sidst” (Thanks for
the last time). “Tak” (Thank you) is the magic word in every situation.
And Sweden, what about Sweden? – “To many foreigners Swedish people are not only
cosmopolitan but also casual and uncomplicated. While the first assumption holds true the
two others only to a much lesser degree. Although it may not become apparent immediately,
Swedish people show quite some respect for their traditions and pay attention to manners but
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also to tolerance. The Swedish crown is a fixed tradition, which does not brook any criticism,
and this is not only because Queen Silvia is the country’s most popular German.
Use the formal way of addressing people until you are offered the informal “you”. One
doesn’t use academic titles neither when speaking nor when writing; they’re not even printed
on business cards. The guest of honor doesn’t sit on the right side but on the left side of the
host or hostess. Another custom that one should observe concerns funny or ironic remarks
which are only called for after a longer acquaintanceship.”
3. Conclusion
What is considered good behavior in Germany remains a mystery in this book. Possible
because the “Managerknigge” was written by two Germans, namely Heinz Commer, the chief
of protocol and Johannes von Thadden, the head of the Department of Foreign Chambers of
Commerce of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce. I suggest
that the participants in this seminar close this information gap themselves and I’m curious to
find out what observations you are going to make at the end of the our meeting.
Let me conclude my talk by making an appeal to all of us: If and to what extent European
policy, the countries and the people will be winners or losers hinges on their own decisions
and not on the bare fact that the EU is being enlarged. Although the policy of the European
Union is very important, it was largely up to the individual member states whether they were
successful politically and economically. This was the case in the past and it will also be true
in the future.
I wish all the participants interesting meetings and encounters and a very pleasant stay here in
Hohwacht on the Southwestern rim of the Baltic.