His Imperial Highness Dr. Otto von Habsburg, a distinguished European statesman and witness of Europe's development in the 20th century, in an exclusive interview with World Security Network: "Europe is not primarily an economic entity but a security community"

During his recent visit to Washington DC, WSN US Editors Benedikt Franke and Benedikt Wahler had the privilege to interview His Imperial Highness Dr. Otto von Habsburg, a distinguished European statesman and witness of Europe's troubled 20^th century.

Otto von Habsburg, born November 20, 1912, is the current head of the Habsburg family, Archduke of Austria, and the eldest son of Karl, the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary, and Empress/Queen Zita. Forced into exile in 1918 to Switzerland and Madeira, Dr. von Habsburg graduated from the University of Leuven, Belgium, having studied social and political science, with his doctoral dissertation in 1935. Already in these dark times of Europe, he was an early promoter of European unity, joining the Paneuropa-Union in 1936 and had to spent most of the war years in Washington, D.C. (1940-1944), after escaping from Austria to Portugal with a visa issued by the Portuguese consul in Bordeaux Aristides Sousa Mendes. A fervent patriot, he had opposed the Nazi "Anschluss" of Austria of 1938 and also fought Hitler's regime from America. After the war, he lived in exile in France and Spain before settling in Bavaria in 1954.
An avid author in several languages writing on issues of history and contemporary politics, the efforts for a peacefully united Europe in diversity were the continuous thread in Dr. von Habsburg's public efforts. From 1957 to 1973 he served as vice-president and from 1973 to 2004 as president of the Paneuropa-Union, succeeding its founder, his friend Richard Nikolaus Graf von Coudenhove-Kalergi. From 1979 on, Otto von Habsburg entered the European parliamentary sphere, shaping the future of Europe as a member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg for twenty years, serving twice as its Senior President. For the Europan People's Party he was chairman of the Parliament's Committee Foreign Affairs, Security and Defense Policy from 1981 to 1999.

He wrote history when undertaking the first Pan-European picnic on August 19, 1989 at Sopron on the Austro-Hungarian border, an occasion for which the Iron Curtain was opened for the first time. This hole in the border fence permitted hundreds of East Germans to slip through, and was the crack that finally brought down the Berlin Wall.

Despite his retirement from parliament in 1999, Dr. von Habsburg continues to be an incessant traveler and promoter of the idea and reality of a united Europe and its role in the world.

In this interview with WSN, Dr. Otto von Habsburg reaffirms his long-standing belief that the European project must remain open to all nations that consider themselves European while in the present condition, Turkey may do neither its own role as regional power nor that of the EU a favor by attempting to join. Meanwhile strong cooperation between both is and remains essential.
Not only has the dynamism and European enthusiasm of the new members done the EU a favor, Dr. von Habsburg also sees countries further to the South and East ready to rejoin the European family of nations. Peaceful revolutions, internal transformation and rapprochement to the EU, such as in Georgia and Ukraine most recently, has benefited the entire continent by reducing tensions. Russia, however, continues to be a source of instability as Otto von Habsburg maintains, given Putin's evident search for national greatness in a Stalinist vein. While Europe should harbor no illusions it must yet be prepared to step forward to assist Russia whenever the opportunity presents itself.

For the European parliament, its former president wishes it would serve as the motor of European integration and that the constitutional draft made clearer reference to God as a higher authority and focuses on preserving the principle of 'subsidiarity' – building Europe from below.

Benedikt Franke, WSN Editor USA, Washington D.C.

WSN: Imperial Highness, how would you envision the “finis Europae”, the final borders for the European Union? What challenges lie ahead for the EU in dealing with those countries willing to join but left outside?

Otto von Habsburg: I believe very strongly in the principle that Pan-Europe means all of Europe. Europe is not primarily an economic entity but a security community. This is logical since security is the fundamental condition for economic progress. Under these conditions, we should not establish right now borders for Europe. I take one practical example: Russia is today not part of Europe because, as even Boris Yeltsin had admitted, he did not know whether he was a European or an Asian. So one could say that if one day Russia abandons its Asian areas we call today Siberia, Russia can demand membership in the European Union, but certainly not before. This means also that the West has an obligation to be a homeland for the European countries that want to be European.

WSN: Related to our first question, Imperial Highness, what are your thoughts on Turkey's desire to join the European Union, and what would such membership entail for the process of deepening and widening the Union? ...more