In times of international crisis, citizens expect political leadership and are willing to respond to it. That applies as much at the regional as the domestic level, given the way politics and economics go beyond national borders in today's world. Yesterday's European Union summit in Ghent reaffirmed its support for the US-led military campaign against Afghanistan, agreed on anti-terrorist measures, pledged to bolster the European economy and clarified its approach to the debate on the future of European integration. Much hangs on the quality of leadership in such an uncertain and dangerous period.
Alongside their solidarity with the US, European leaders insisted that humanitarian aid and United Nations legitimacy must be central in their approach to the crisis. They called for the elimination of the al-Qaeda organisation - believed responsible for the September 11th attacks. There is precious little time available to provide that aid and engineer a political transition in Afghanistan before winter sets in and a fragile international and regional coalition is strained by the bombing campaign and a looming humanitarian catastrophe. The summit successfully contained tensions between member-states with differing perspectives on the crisis; but there was some justifiable disquiet about the meeting between French, German and British leaders, just before it began, to discuss their military involvement. This was as significant for the presence of Mr Blair, as for the affirmation of large power autonomy within the EU system. It has implications for the relative power and standing of the member-states and the European Commission. Significantly, the summit confined new anti-terrorism co-operation to serious offences, resisting Commission proposals to extend it more radically.
The Commission president, Mr Prodi, stressed that the European economy's fundamentals are strong and capable of withstanding this international shock. The statement, adopted yesterday, commits EU governments to controlling inflation by moderating pay and improving market flexibility. A great deal hangs on the performance and good management of the European economy in the months ahead. EU leaders have a real opportunity to demonstrate the Union's relevance to its citizens in such a time of adversity. Their informal discussion on how the debate on the future of Europe should be conducted, shows they appreciate that political reality.