[Opinion] European President

It is believed that the word `Europe` came from `ereb,` a Mesopotamian noun meaning the place for sunset. For those people who lived near the east coast of the Mediterranean, today`s Europe was the place where the sun sets. After Mesopotamians, `ereb` transformed into `Europe` in English, `Ourope` in French, `Oiropa` in German and `Yebrapa` in Russian, meaning Europe. The common origin of those words could be then one of the reasons countries in the region have long shared cultures and sought to build a single European unity.

▷The Convention on the Future of Europe unveiled the latest draft of a constitution the European Union aims to adopt once it adds new members in 2004. It said the union could either be called the European Community, the European Union, United Europe or the United States of Europe. The draft also suggests the idea of a congress that would include European Parliament members and national members of parliament, and the idea of a fixed five year-term president, a foreign minister and a council comprising member states. European countries are indeed moving fast towards their long-held dream of `One Constitution, One Parliament, One Government for Europe,` an idea first conceived with the launch of the European Coal Steel Community in 1951.

▷The blueprint reminds people of the constitution of the U.S. in that it proposes EU presidency, which will exercise powerful authority over the present executive council. Former French president Valery Giscard d`Estaing, Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe, also hinted that the draft was modeled after the U.S. constitution. Of the four names proposed by the convention, British government officials railed against the United States of Europe, citing the European government could sound like a part of the U.S. under the name. Although the nature of the European government is not something easily affected by one particular name, the objection reflects Europeans` sense of pride.

▷Whichever name it will choose, the new European entity is not likely to become another United States. For one thing, the ambitious plan has been led by leftist parties in Germany and France, which have been vocal to criticize the new hegemony sought by the Bush administration. Also, given its stance on the Iraq issue, Europe doesn`t seem to like an idea of having a president like George W. Bush.

Moon Myung-ho, Editorial Writer, munmh97@donga.com