Lord Alan Watson of Richmond, member of the House of Lords, is one of Romania’s allies in the United Kingdom. Ex-member of the European Parliament High Level Group for Romania, Lord Alan Watson is an important character in the British mass-media and lobby environment. All the way from London, he not only sees the significant opportunities for Romania’s competing for investments, but also the obstacles the country faces in building a positive image. An interview by HotNews.ro correspondent in London, Crina Boros.

"Interests never lie"

Crina Boros:You were discussing enlarging the European Union four years ago. What positive and negative impact did the last EU enlargement process bring, and how important this is from the political and cultural perspectives both Europe and Romania?

Lord Watson of Richmond: I remember going to Bucharest before Romania became a member. There was a huge neon sign somewhere in the town centre: a sort of countdown to the moment of entry. I met many Romanians, who ought to have known better, who were seeing the European Union membership as a solution to all their problems. Of course, it was never going to be that.

The EU membership is very tough, very difficult, and not just for new members, but for old members as well. It will never be an easy option. You’ve got to be very careful when you trade sovereignty for community. You can lose out. I think there’s now a more realistic view of what the EU membership entails. But what it has done – and for me it is a great plus the enlargement into the Central Europe – the real sine-qua-non of all facts: if the EU had not existed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, what would have happened?

Actually, the other partners, including the United States, France, Germany, all the rest and Great Britain, we would all, in a way, despite ourselve