The duality of the EU - East & West

The Duality of Europe - A diverse family

Imagine the European Union as a Family. You have the siblings from West-Europe, who have been around the longest in the European Union and have a strong economy and are always looking to evolve, just like Northern Europe. Besides those, the younger siblings of the European family come from East and South Europe. Those siblings are still looking for the best possible way of balancing the budget, deal with old political problems and navigate throughout this big family being the European Union. This article will dive into the north, east, south, and western parts of Europe and what their duality within the European Union is.

 

The West: oldest brother

When it comes to the economic stability of Western Europe, they are very strong and with this strong foundation, creates stability and opportunities for stability and growth within the European Union. Investments in infrastructure, technology, and innovation are all to benefit the entire European Union. However, all this wealth and growth of Western Europe also creates an economic gap between the western and eastern/southern parts of Europe, which could lead to the creation of long-term tensions.

 

Politics is something that is also constantly evolving. When it comes to politics of Western European nations in correlation to Europe. Those nations have, in history and today’s day and age, led the pro-integration agenda. West Europe supports initiatives like the single market and the Green Deal, which supports climate goals. This commitment could strengthen the EU’s global influence and overall cohesion.

 

Flexibility in integration

Taking a look at West Europe creating cohesion within Europe, some would say that it is fairly reasonable and others would say it is not. Looking at the political shift that is happening, the rise of nationalism and skepticism towards Europe, challenges European unity. These tensions between pro-EU and anti-EU factions could eventually weaken Europe, making it harder to come to collective decisions for the future of Europe.  

Flexibility and adaptation are two strengths that the western part of Europe is also known for. This multi-speed integration allows European countries to take their own pace when it comes to progress, which creates accurate accommodating and diverse needs for every country. This flexibility could give less integrated nations less pressure to adapt towards fast excelling countries and give the opportunity to adopt gradually.

To conclude, western countries are still the economic and political giants. The west could offer benefits which could strengthen the duality of Europe, but the risks could divide and threaten Europe’s cohesion and future

 

The East: A new sibling

Europe was divided in the aftermath of the Second World War between the allied powers; the Soviet Union controlled the East and the French, UK, and USA controlled the west. It was a divide between ideology, the capitalist west and the communist east. However, since the fall of the Soviet Union there is no such clear divide between East and West. Essentially all the old Soviet satellite states are members of the EU and all of them have subscribed to the western system of governance and economics, but digging deeper some significant differences are still apparent. 

 

From a planned to market economy

During the Cold War the eastern countries were under strong influence of the Soviet Union, with the Baltics being directly a part of the Soviet Union and the other eastern countries being satellite states. This resulted in the Soviet ideology in relation to economics and politics such as political systems being centered around one party which held all the power and the economy being planned and controlled by the state. The eastern European countries traditionally had a planned central economy but transitioned into a demand economy with the fall of the Soviet Union and Soviet influence. As the Soviet influence disappeared, eastern European countries started looking to the west and subsequently started joining the European Union in the expansion of 2004. Ever since then eastern countries have based their economic and political systems on the western system and the divide between east and west is slowly degrading.

 

Eastern European countries have had significant economic growth in the last two decades since joining the European Union. For example, Poland has experienced an average growth of 2.4% of GDP between 2004-2022 according to the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology. Poland is just one of the many different eastern European countries which has experienced serious economic growth since the fall of the Soviet Union.

 

Conclusion

In conclusion, while historical divisions between Western and Eastern Europe remain, EU integration has significantly contributed to economic growth in the East and reinforced Western Europe's leadership in political and economic affairs. Eastern European countries have benefited from EU membership, while Western Europe continues to drive key integration initiatives. However, challenges such as economic disparities, political divisions, and rising skepticism pose risks to Europe’s cohesion. Strengthening cooperation and adaptability will be crucial in ensuring a more unified and resilient European Union for the future.