By Beth Roberts
Several ambassadors and other officials from Eastern Europe and a top U.S. State Department  official shared their cautious optimism about the future of the region Feb. 3-5 in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education.
“Europe’s East Enters the 21st Century,” the fifth annual international symposium sponsored by UGA’s Center for Humanities and Arts, included several presentations and panel discussions along with appropriate musical entertainment.
Ambassador Mircea Dan Geoana of Romania delivered the keynote address the evening of Feb. 3 to open the symposium. Like the other ambassadors who spoke on succeeding days, he emphasized how far the countries of Central and Eastern Europe have come since the fall of Communism--and how far there is yet to go. But he voiced the hope that these nations will join with the West in the coming century.
“The problem of Eastern Europe is how far the process of Western integration can go,” he said.
Representatives of six other Eastern and Central European nations also spoke of the  possibilities of integration with Western Europe, and of the necessity of American participation, during Thursday’s “Ambassadors’ Roundtable.” They included Géza Jeszenszky, Hungarian ambassador to the United States; Ojars Kalnins, Latvian ambassador; Dimitrij Rupel, ambassador of Slovenia; Lauri Lepik, deputy chief of mission in the Estonian embassy; Darius Degutis, counselor for political affairs in the Lithuanian embassy; and Boguslaw M. Majewski, minister-counselor from the Polish embassy.
“The unity of Europe was built on a threat,” said Majewski, “but the threat no longer exists, so the unity must change--and the need for United States participation is even greater.”
The significant role of the United States in providing support for the tremendous change that is taking place in the East was the particular topic of Eileen A. Malloy, deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs, who addressed the symposium Thursday morning.
Malloy, who oversees relations with 19 countries in the State Department, including the  Bosnian peace process, reviewed the numerous American programs under way in the region. She described broad American goals as “bolstering democracy, expanding prosperity, strengthening security. . . . A stronger, more unified Europe is in America’s interest.”
She mentioned that major summits will be held this year with NATO, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, with the goal of agreeing on a “coherent, integrated strategy.” Three formerly Communist nations--Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic--have recently been invited to join NATO; five have applied for admission to the European Union, perhaps in the coming decade, and five others have begun the application process. But she, like the other speakers, emphasized that integration will be a slow process.
“It takes longer than one expects to change a society,” Geoana said. “But with American leadership and renewed European wisdom, we have a unique opportunity to build a united and integrated trans-Atlantic community.”
The participants discussed short-term and long-term obstacles to integration. The breathtaking pace of change itself presents a difficulty, several pointed out.
 Geoana said, “We [Romanians] have rediscovered national pride--are we ready to give up the attributes of sovereignty which European Union means? I foresee a relatively difficult time in terms of educating our people.”
Ambassador Rupel offered a similar assessment of the situation in Slovenia: “Slovenes are skeptical about the outside world--and that is a problem.”
Several participants emphasized the role of American universities in encouraging economic development and political change, especially by developing joint research programs but also as a model.
“The link between knowledge and industry is an idea to be exported from the United States,” said Majewski.
In response to a question about the Bosnian peace accord, Malloy assured the audience that substantial progress has been made.
“It is more difficult and complex than anybody anticipated,” she said. “That said, it’s going very well. It’s going to take longer and cost more than we would have liked.
“But is there light at the end of the tunnel? Yes. How long is the tunnel? Can’t say.”
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