I wonder if the pace of EU expansion, and the integration of new members, will be slowed by the present recession/crisis/oh-no-the-world-is-ending state of economic ungoodness? Consider, for instance, Romania.

Just like, well, everyone, Romania’s government this week announced a stimulus package of tax breaks for small businesses (even though they’re still growing at a respectable 3%). But progress towards proper integration, like adopting the Euro or joining the Schengen visa-free travel agreement, seem to be slowing — in the latter case, the schedule that insists 2011 is the date seems increasingly tenuous.

Not long ago, the strengthening and expansion of the EU was one of the best (indeed, one of the only) hopes for the region’s economies to get back on track to growth — but if that’s slowing down, I wonder whether the first real test of the Eurozone will just end up exposing its weaknesses.

Some discoveries from a morning when I should have been reading about Asian regionalism …

• Having just concluded a summit meeting with the leaders of the European Union, I’m amazed at how George Bush has changed to a concillatory tone, even to the point of affirming that he wants to close Guantanamo Bay. The gung-ho, “with us or against us” President of not long ago has clearly learnt some lessons — or maybe he’s started listening to advisers when they point out that cooperating with Europe is his only real option.
• Over in Dili, even Xanana is asking Mari Alkatiri to resign. Although there’s clearly evidence that the PM bears some responsibility for the current crisis, I doubt sacking him will achieve as much as people are hoping. The UN’s special rep claims the situation there is still fragile, and leadership changes won’t help if the Timorese government just plods along with the same policies.
• To other matters: it’s intrigued me how the mainstream media are taking to the world of new Web services and software. This AP article in the SMH article talks about Web browsers as if tabbed browsing and Dashboard-style widgets had only just been invented, and apparently Internet Explorer 6 is only just starting to “show signs of ageing”. But uninformed reporting aside, at least browser innovation is getting some air time in the mainstream press.
• Also in the world of software, Microsoft have announced a partnership with — of all people — the Creative Commons folks! Admittedly, all they are doing is offering an Office add-in to give documents CC licensing metadata, but even that would have been unthinkable for the Microsoft of a few years ago.