WI - Alternate EU Capital / Special Region

In a pre-1900 scenario where the Netherlands regains Flanders, what if Strasbourg was made the capital of the EU with Alsace-Lorraine (or some other area) possibly becoming some of special region or EU enclave?
 
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I do not see Alsace-Lorraine being made a special region, not with the historical sensitivities associated with it.

That said, if there was a European Union based on a Franco-German bargain, then Alsace and Strasbourg would be an obvious place to put European institutions. Luxembourg, too.
 
Well Strossburi as it would likely be called in this scenario using it's Alsatian name is sort of already the EU Capital though a temporary one. However it would all come down to how this atl EU is formed considering the precursor of otl EU came about due to mostly French efforts. That is the main reason why millions are wasted twatting about there a couple of times a year. I think this would require an altered Great War to get such a result with the build up to the atl EU coming from mostly Liberals in each nation to ensure peace and prosperity. In that case Elsass-Lottringe would be a buffer state central to both groups likely using an name reflective of the local language as potentially demonstrated.
 
Strasbourg can be a good choice. Bruxelles became EU capital because when UE and its precursor EEC were born, it comprehended people of the Latin world and people of the Germanic world. The capital was chosen as a position of compromise between the two: Bruxelles, Latin city in a Germanic region of a mixed Latin-Germanic nation was perfect. Also Strasbourg is a perfect match. It would be interesting a scenario where the EU capital is chosen after a consistent number of Slavic countries has joined the Union. In that case I see well a capital in the Venezia Giulia region, like Gorizia, Trieste or Ljubjiana, because this region is the only one where Latin, Germanic and Slavic worlds are all present.
 
Saarbrücken.

From the wiki: "It was agreed that the region would be given the status of a European territory within the enlarged framework of Western European Union (WEU).[1] However, the agreement still had to be ratified by the inhabitants of the Saar, who were still not content with the French presence"
 
I do not see Alsace-Lorraine being made a special region, not with the historical sensitivities associated with it.

That said, if there was a European Union based on a Franco-German bargain, then Alsace and Strasbourg would be an obvious place to put European institutions. Luxembourg, too.

I agree. If you want to stick to western Europe and the low countries, Luxembourg is the best option.
  • It borders both France and Germany, emphasizing the Franco-German relationship at the EU's core
  • Is part of neither France nor Germany, avoiding the historical baggage of Alsace-Lorraine
  • Luxembourg could either give up part of its current territory to form a new capital region or just have the country as a whole become the capital district
 
If the capital is going to be centrally located in the EU as a whole, Vienna and Prague are great options.

Best option: Vienna
- Historical precedent as the center of a multiethnic state
- Can satisfy Germany's influence in the EU as a German-speaking city, but can satisfy non-German EU members because its not in Germany.
- Already has lots of international organizations headquartered there thanks to Austrian neutrality during the Cold War.

Second best option: Prague
- Still very centrally located in the European Union like Vienna
- Satisfies ex-communist countries that may feel marginalized compared to French/German economic influence
- Can reduce fears of German dominance as a non-German speaking city.

As an American, I'm basing this thought process on the regional compromises that resulted in America's capital being in Washington DC. The EU has more complex regional differences than just North v South in the US, so compromising on an existing city in the EU might be impossible
 
If the capital is going to be centrally located in the EU as a whole, Vienna and Prague are great options.

Presuming a capital would be decided initially after the formation of the EU you would note that Vienna and Prague are neither members or the centre.
 
Presuming a capital would be decided initially after the formation of the EU you would note that Vienna and Prague are neither members or the centre.
By EU I meant the current membership, I guess you mean the initial coal and steel community of OTL. That could work out like Washington, DC, a capital that was centrally located when the country first formed, before later territorial expansion. In the United States in the 1890s, some activists wanted to move the US capital to St Louis and accommodate for the country's growth.
 

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