Pascal lamy, a European commissioner from France, recently mused publicly about why some members of the European Union are more awkward to deal with than others. "We have to recognise", he said, "that there are some countries which remember that they were once great world powers and which believe that this was not an accident―that they still have special qualities that deserve recognition: France, Britain, Spain, Poland." At the mention of Poland, there was a snort of derision from a Hungarian in the audience. But the real quarrel with Mr Lamy's list is not that it is too long, but too short. The remarkable thing about the European Union is how many of its 15―soon to be 25―members once had a crack at world, or at least continental, power. A shared sense that they have seen greater days is now a big psychological link between EU members.
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