Kohl Warns Against Delay of European Unity Effort

In an attempt to revive flagging domestic support for European monetary and political union, German Chancellor Helmut Kohl warned Wednesday that any slowing of the integration process would be an irretrievable historic mistake.

“We would not just bring damage to ourselves, but to all of Europe--completely aside from the fact that a splintered Europe would no longer count in the world as a political factor,” Kohl said.

The chancellor’s remarks, made during a major policy statement before the German Parliament in Bonn, come amid growing doubts in Germany about the wisdom of joining a European monetary union if it means giving up the deutschemark, which for most Germans is as much a symbol of their nation’s post-World War II success as it is one of the world’s most valued currencies.

Nagging public concern in Germany burst into the open in the wake of Denmark’s rejection of the treaty outlining European economic and political union among the 12 European Community countries. That rejection, in a June 2 national referendum, sent shock waves through the EC and focused greater attention on today’s referendum on the issue in Ireland.

Any major, permanent shift of public opinion in Germany against the treaty would seriously cripple those who dream of a United States of Europe.

Germany is the EC’s biggest member and its largest financial contributor, and the idea of binding Germany tightly together with its neighbors remains a fundamental driving force behind the treaty signed last December in the Dutch city of Maastricht.

While Kohl has rarely referred in domestic speeches to the fears of many of Germany’s closest allies about reunification, he returned to the subject for the second time in as many days Wednesday, noting that the support of countries such as France, Britain, Belgium and the Netherlands for the unification of East and West Germany had been far from automatic.

“There was and is fear from the past, especially from the memories of the atrocities of the Nazi regime, which still lingers,” he said. “Decisive (in winning support from these countries) was that from the very beginning we had coupled the issue of German unity with a clear commitment to European unity.”

German support for European unity was once so strong that few considered a political debate on the issue necessary, despite the burden that West Germany bore in frequently contributing more than its financial share to the EC budget.

The huge costs of unification and concerns about financial commitments to the former Soviet Union and Eastern European nations have led the German public to question the price of EC integration.

On Wednesday, Kohl reminded his countrymen that Germany has benefited strongly from the EC. He said they owe much of their current prosperity to the degree of economic integration already achieved by the community.

“More than any other country, (integrated) Europe has brought us economic and political advantages,” he said. “Only when we stick to the idea of European integration can we ensure more jobs and prosperity in Germany.”