ABSTRACT
European integration started off as a small club of just six democratic states: the European Economic Community. The consolidation of democracy in central and eastern Europe has become a key objective of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) enlargement. By antagonising fellow European states in NATO and the EU, at a time when the US is less than fully invested in Europe’s institutions, they are actually isolating themselves. An ambitious social agenda could convince European citizens again that the EU can exactly be the ultimate guarantor of their social security. The welfare state, therefore, is as much a part of the European peace project as European integration itself. A nationalist, anti-EU French president could block EU decision-making, and could even refuse to continue to implement existing European legislation. Already, the existence of proto-authoritarian regimes within the EU has greatly undermined the legitimacy and effectiveness of EU foreign policy.
