Opinion Archive

What to Make of Europe and Mexico

July 23, 2008

During a recent breakfast with the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations, Mendel Goldstein, head of the European Commission's delegation to Mexico, made much of the fact that the EU is establishing a "strategic partnership" with this country. At the same time, in Brussels, EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, specified that this would include closer ties in security, environment, energy and trade.

This is significant. It puts Mexico at the highest level of cooperation with the European Union, short of application, acceptance to the Union, or ties with European Free Trade Area countries. It is in addition to a free trade agreement that Mexico signed with the EU in 1997 and it establishes a framework of summits and other high-level exchanges.

Curiously, Mexico, does not, in general, have the closest ties with the EU among Latin American countries. Brazil, for example, has a much higher percentage of its trade directed at Europe than Mexico does. Argentina's blood links with Spain, Italy, Germany, and even Britain, are ample, recent and direct. Mexico, in contrast, is much more integrated with the US: 85% of the country's trade takes place with its North American neighbor and 1/4 of Mexicans and people of Mexican descent live in the US.

The amigo country

But Europe sees that Mexico is strategically important as a "bridge" between North America and Latin America. Similarly, it is seen as a "bridge" between the developed and the underdeveloped world. Despite being a laggard in the BRICSAM (Brazil-India-China-South Africa-Mexico) grouping because of its relatively low growth rates, it is still one of the largest economies in the world and one of the most important oil producers.

Mexico also has the benefit of not being a controversial country. It is big enough to be well-known, but small and pacifist enough not to have enemies. Despite the mutterings of some Latin Americanists in the Mexican intelligentsia, it has no desire to become a regional power and, internationally, it adopts all the right "politically correct" postures. It has abjured nuclear weapons, is adamant about peaceful conflict resolution, and it believes in strengthening international enforcement institutions like the International Criminal Court. The fact that it struggles with narco-violence and corruption issues does not diminish the country in European diplomatic circles. Rather, it is seen as an area where Europe can help.

Unfortunately, this "strategic partnership" will most likely be a disappointment. Not in the sense that Mexico will embarass the EU, or that something will go terribly wrong. Rather, in terms of lost potential opportunities. Europe, it turns out, can help much more than either it, or the Mexican government, currently imagines.

If they're giving an inch, take a mile

The European "experiment" has perhaps been the most successful project in modern history at creating peace, prosperity and developing stable democracies. Europe has the most experience at helping countries shore up their economies and their institutions. As soon as a country begins accession talks, European specialists go there to advise its government on all sorts of key issues. They give them a framework and then provide the milestones to measure progress. Bulgaria notwithstanding, Europe has an enviable record of helping countries govern themselves significantly better.

A lot of Europe's massive amounts of soft power comes from the billions it spends in "structural" aid.  But Mexico doesn't need Europe's money and it does needs the sort of expertise that the EU has. Our government should voluntarily submit itself to the sort of scrutiny that EU aspirants go through. It should adopt European best practices in all areas of institution-building and transparency. On a more clandestine level, it should invite a crack team of Spanish investigators to help our Federal Police put an end to narco-violence. Mexico, for example, should immediately implement a national identity card program in order to do away with the fraudulent IDs that allow so many criminals to get away with murder. It just so happens that Spain runs one of the world's best national ID programs and databases.

None of this implies losing any of that cherished "sovereignty" that politicians go on about: Mexicans would be doing the work. But by applying some creativity, a little humility, and tremendous amounts of political will, Europe could provide important answers to some of our most urgent nation-building questions. All with the added benefit of Europe not being the United States, which is the logical partner, but whose cooperation ruffles so many feathers on both sides of the border.

Mexico desperately needs international help. Fortunately, it has exceptional amounts of international goodwill. Unfortunately, the ruling elite functions as if the world had nothing better to offer than photo opportunities and shopping trips.

For the latest thought-provoking article by Agustin Barrios Gomez please go to our Opinion Column page

Return to top