January 9, 2012
In a SPIEGEL interview, Czech Foreign Minister Karl Fürst zu Schwarzenberg attacks European politicians for lacking vision, describes the resentment felt by small EU members at the dominance of Germany and France and warns the Germans against megalomania in their defense of the euro.
SPIEGEL: Minister Schwarzenberg, as an aristocrat from Bohemia, you spent most of your life in Austria and Germany, before returning to Prague and becoming a politician after the collapse of the Soviet bloc. You also have a Swiss passport. In which language do you dream?
Schwarzenberg: It depends where I am. Sometimes in Czech, sometimes in German.
SPIEGEL: So it's always Central European. In your opinion, how far does Central Europe reach? Which countries should still be part of the European Union?
Schwarzenberg: Central Europe has no clear borders. It passes straight through Germany. Düsseldorf and Cologne are part of Western Europe, while Munich and Dresden are already in Central Europe. It's a good thing that Croatia will soon join the EU. Ukraine should also be a member. I believe that the entire western Balkans should be part of the EU, at least if we want to avoid sitting on a powder keg. And Turkey, if it still wants to be -- provided it undergoes some important reforms.
SPIEGEL: So the EU still has a strong appeal for neighboring countries?
Schwarzenberg: Its light is flickering at the moment.
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