01/05/2007
GERMANY’S BID FOR GREAT POWER STATUS THROUGH THE EU
A SYNOPSIS OF A TALK GIVEN BY HORST TEUBERT, BY TOM McCARTNEY
Herr Teubert’s talk under the above title
was given first to an audience of
many influential people at a House of
Commons venue, earlier this year, then
again at Marlborough, Wiltshire and at
Derby. Mr Edward Spalton of Derby
was instrumental in arranging for Herr
Teubert to come over and give these
talks, an I attended the Derby meeting.
Edward kindly supplied me with a transcript
of the full and lengthy text of the
talk, from the web-site:
www,freenations.freeuk.com/voiceshorstteubert2.
html
Synopsis of the introduction:
perhaps we are witnessing a belated
concern for the true nature of the
‘European Project’, and the British political
class is now awakening to the
horrendous historical implications of their actions.
German eurofederalists rely on crises in ‘energy,
terror and migration’ to help promote their agenda,
and here they use the BBC, which the EU helps to finance,
to promote their aims.
Synopsis of the Talk: Herr Teubert indicates
that his motivation in giving this critique of
German foreign policy is based on his assessment of
it as becoming increasingly contentious. Also he is
very concerned by the rise of neo-nazism.
At the beginning of this year, the German
government took over the six-month Presidency of
the EU. As well as providing opportunities for the
advancement of German influence, this is seen as an
opportunity to re-introduce the EU Constitution. It
is thought that this would mean a Common EU foreign
policy, and thereby German ambitions in this
sphere would be promoted, to the exclusion of others,
e.g. those of Great Britain. Also, the proposals
for re-armament in the Constitution coincide with
German plans. The influential independent German
strategy planning group, the Bertelsmann Foundation
(B.F.), has long pressed for ‘Superpower Europe’. A European
army, under German influence, would have the nuclear
potential of France and Great Britain at its disposal,
so becoming of comparable status to the USA.
Berlin now aims to push through the essential
features of the Constitution, even by undemocratic
means. When Berlin doesn’t get its own
way, it can become threatening. One plan is to bring
the component parts of the Constitution into effect
piecemeal through multilateral treaties, without consulting
the people. For example, just introducing a
‘European Foreign Minister’. An other suggestion
is to reduce EU voting rights for any countries not
ratifying the Constitution. Also suggested is the
hold a EU-wide referendum on the issue, so negating
British opposition. Another German planning
group, The Foundation for policy Studies, has suggested
that British opposition to this issue could be
overcome by using the Euro-friendly BBC. As
against that, the British print media are much more
EU-sceptic, in the ratio of 8.2 against 2.75 (million
editions). Britain is certainly seen as the main obsta
cle by Berlin. In this connection, former
Chancellor Schroeder has remarked
that only the EU can provide the framework
for lasting peace, freedom, welfare
and democracy. Without further integration
there will be the threat of war,
destruction of freedom, poverty and
dictatorship. As against this, a German
MEP has warned against the build-up of
EU alliances, ‘directed perhaps against
France, but certainly against Great
Britain’.
Recently the B.F. (see above), has
said that the EU could only be welded
closer together if real or apparent external
threats were included in political
propaganda. Energy, terror and migration
were suitable themes. Also it has
pointed out that military force could be
necessary for unification, as when Germany was
united by such force in 1871.
Requirements for German Industry: The
means of continued supply of raw materials and also
of oil and gas, are kept under continual review by
their top government figures, including people from
their Foreign Office and Economic Ministry, working
in co-operation with their top industrial and
business executives. The B.F. asserts that the formation
of a Common EU Energy Strategy is essential,
to ensure Germany’s energy supply. The German
government has devised such a plan, for the EU to
adopt. This will establish which parts of energy supply
will be controlled by Brussels, and which by
Berlin.
The Common Energy Strategy will form
the basis of a Common Foreign Policy, and become
a common diplomatic approach to energy supplier
countries. All of this will boost German influence
abroad and weaken other influences. Special attention
is devoted to the areas around the Caspian Sea,
where there are vast energy reserves, and a new EU
strategy is under construction for this area.
Unfortunately, in that part of the world the Uzbekistan Security
Forces in recent times massacred anti-government
demonstrators, and as a result, EU sanctions
were imposed on the Uzbeks. Berlin pressed for
relatively weak sanctions, and then very soon broke
even these. Then lately, Berlin pressed for a total
lifting of sanctions, and as a result they have come
into conflict with other EU states which support
sanctions. The matter is still unresolved.
The Russian connection. Russia is even
more important for energy supplies than central
Asia. At present, EU states import about 40 per cent
of their natural gas supplies, and of that, 40 per cent
comes from Russia.
The EU Commission calculates
that by 2030 the EU will need to import 70 per cent
of its natural gas, and the Russian share of this will
be 60 percent. This trend is then set to continue. In
Germany it is thought that by 2020, Great Britain
will have to import 90 percent of its gas, and so will
also be dependent on Russia.
The extreme right-wing National Democratic Party is
gaining influence,, especially in the East. If EU developments
are not to their liking, some politicians
may use this as a means of bullying EU partners into
submission. One spokesman has said that eastwards
expansion of the EU is essential for security, and if
this did not proceed, Germany might have to take in
hand the stabilisation of Eastern Europe alone, ‘and
in the traditional manner’.
Chancellor Merkel has called for the ending
of the need for unanimity in all matters before
the European Council. With background briefings,
and large public meetings, the German government
is trying to arouse enthusiasm for, and nullify opposition
against, German foreign policies in Europe.
We have witnessed such attempts at mass indoctrination
before, in support of misguided ambitions for
expansion, and we have seen the terrible consequences,
not least for the German people themselves.
Horst Teubert is the editor of the German
Journal, ‘Information about German Foreign
Policy’. Web-site: www.german-foreign-policy.com
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