The EU must be active in Asia

According to the Danish daily Information, the crisis in the Caucasus has shown the need for the EU to play a more active role in Asia, but without holding out the prospect of EU and NATO membership as an enticement. "The Georgia conflict has clearly shown that there is a lot of tension in Central Asia and that the position of the Western countries is extremely weak there. Asia is in the process of becoming the powerhouse of the future, and not only economically. It is here that the solutions for terrorism and for the energy and climate issues must be found. We do not need another conflict we cannot win; we need intensive cooperation with Russia and other actors in the region. The EU countries must reach a fundamental decision about the borders of the EU, even if this reignites the awkward debate about Turkey's membership. Rather than taking on new members the EU should work out a concept for an 'EU light' of which the countries of the East, Turkey and the north African states could be members."

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