From the CIAO Atlas Map of Europe 

email icon Email this citation

CIAO DATE: 03/03

Free Movement of People, Goods, Services and Capital in View of the Context of Stability Pact

Mladen Stanicic

February 2003

Austrian National Defense Academy

Abstract

The Stability Pact is a strategic concept whose aim is to warrant long-term peace and stability in South-Eastern Europe. It is becoming an indispensable element of the global security structure which is currently being constructed in relations between the big powers, the USA, Russia and China, with the active participation of the United Nations, the European Union, international financial institutions and individual countries. As one of the sponsors of the pact, the European Union is keenly interested in stability and peace among its next-door neighbours, some of whom are covered by the pending eastern enlargement. This enlargement is intended to transcend centuries of civilisational and religious divisions in Europe, the causes of many political and armed conflicts in the past. The vision of Europe in the 21st century, reaching all the way to the borders of the former Soviet Union, is that of a multicultural community encompassing states with diverse civilisational, religious, ethnic and cultural characteristics.

The EU as an international integration is one of the most important elements in the process of globalisation which is based on structural changes in world economy. The theory of liberal internationalism views international integration as an inseparable part of globalisation, as a basic foundation for the realisation of the concept "peace by integration" in an international system with increasing interdependence. Under the conditions of globalisation, international integration is organised with the purpose of contributing to a better control and co-ordination of international economic, as well as political relations, with their better internal organisation and co-ordination. Thus integration is nurtured by the process of a continuing growth of profit, carried out by intensification of economic exchange, trans-border differentiation of the division of labour, entwining of segment markets, their merging into a common market, and the economic and monetary union. These theoretical precepts, which have so far been proven as facts on many examples, prove that the membership in international integration, as an inseparable part of the globalisation process, is far more favourable, economically and politically, for each of the members than if they had remained outside such an integration. Since economic and political benefits from participation in this integration are interactive, it follows that the essence of international relations as a whole develops within and among an individual world integration. The position of one country within an international integration determines its position in international relations, thus the main content of international relations of a country proceeds through its participation in international integration. It is particularly relevant to small countries like SEE ones.

Free Movement of People, Goods, Services and Capital in View of the Context of Stability Pact (PDF format, 23 pgs, 52 KB)