A few days before the death of the German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, I happened, quite by coincidence, to be reading a book of essays and interviews titled “In the Vortex of Technocracy.” Europe, in a way, through a spirit that begins in ancient Greece, takes shape during the Renaissance, and is refined through the French Revolution, has created a framework and a process to systematize and disseminate this spirit.
Written by: Lorik Idrizi
Although Europe is often criticized for excessive bureaucracy and technocracy, there is nonetheless a certain magic, a spirit, that has synthesized all these values within this framework.
The countries of the Western Balkans, worn out by an endless transition, and throughout this entire period constantly attempting, at least declaratively, to make a major leap in alignment with this European spirit, have still not managed to crystallize this orientation despite the ongoing integration process. In trying to adapt to this framework and process, these countries seem to have lost that European spirit along the way. Unfortunately, the Western Balkans have become trapped in the vortex of technocracy, while the integration process and its framework have remained stripped of this very spirit.
Over the past decade, there have been many eurosceptic voices disguised as pro-European ones, relativizing everything and shifting the blame onto European bureaucracy and geopolitical contexts, often presented as the main culprits, while in reality this spirit has remained unprocessed within the integration process itself. Yet, it must be acknowledged that, despite all the funds and projects, the European spirit has faded, not least due to various malicious influences that have contributed to this phenomenon.
The integration process is, by nature, a bureaucratic one, filled with homework and chapters that are often perceived as abstract obligations, or in many cases deliberately presented as such in order to preserve a monopoly over expertise. Despite this perception, it must be recognized that the European spirit remains the true origin and driving force that can genuinely stimulate reforms and move the negotiation chapters forward.
Europe, therefore, is not merely technical expertise; it is a spirit that originates in ancient Greece, is rediscovered during the Renaissance, and is cultivated through the French Revolution and the periods that followed. These reform frameworks and development processes can never truly gain meaning outside of this European spirit.