A familiar refrain continues to resonate: the EU-27 needs to close ranks and display greater cohesion and strong political leadership. It cannot but recognise the danger posed by Russia and acknowledge the widening gap from the United States (noting that Washington appears to be taking backward steps, withdrawing from its long-standing and consolidated friendship with the old continent). In this increasingly challenging environment
The EU appears to be alone – albeit rediscovering common ground with the UK -, responsible for its own security, its own future, that of its peoples, its democracy.
The time has come to move from words to deeds.
Russia is, and will remain, a threat. Trump’s United States – cloaked in the nationalist defence of its particular interests, even at the expense of Europe’s – risks ceasing to be a reliable partner, if not indeed turning into a problem for Europe. Suffice it to mention the extravagant, bombastic and – alas, – worrying statements made by the tenant of the White House in the economic, political and geostrategic spheres.
The EU27 is expected to show renewed awareness and unity.
Former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi reiterated this point in a speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday 18 February: “The EU was created to guarantee peace, independence, security, sovereignty, as well as sustainability, prosperity, democracy and equality. We have succeeded in guaranteeing all this. That comfortable world is over and the question we have to ask ourselves is whether these are the values we want to defend, in the knowledge that we are entering a period in which Europe will be increasingly alone.
The opposite, in short, of what some political forces and European leaders, who are playing footsie with Putin or wish to serve as a ‘bridge’ connecting the two shores of the Atlantic Ocean, are claiming and deciding.
The EU must learn to act autonomously in terms of economic competitiveness, the protection of the single market, and energy. It must reassure its citizens in the area of defence; it must seek new partners so as not to isolate itself, knowing full well that each world player is playing for its own specific interests. It must seek new alliances. But it must not stubbornly abandon the pursuit of agreements with old friends, first and foremost the United States.
Some signals are emerging: the von der Leyen Commission’s Competitiveness Compass goes in this direction. The Paris summit convened by French President Macron is yet another card being played, despite having yielded no immediate results. Indeed, it exposed some major disagreements regarding support for Ukraine. At the Munich Security Conference, Ursula von der Leyen proposed exempting defence spending from the EU budget ceiling. There is a growing but not unanimous demand in the European Parliament for greater EU autonomy in these areas.
But this is not enough. This is a decisive moment and certain decisions should not be delayed any further.
While some EU leaders are pulling the handbrake on new steps towards EU integration, clear messages must be sent: the EU must embrace a unified approach and a leadership role that must not be thwarted by rebellious nationalists, anti-EU populists and Putin’s friends – whether overt or covert. And it must never forget that it was created with a vocation for peace as its first priority.
The United States is keeping its distance, Russia is dangerous, no less than Turkey and other neighbouring countries. Instability is looming in the Balkans. With strong neo-colonialist traits, China, India and other giants are advancing in the economic, trade and military spheres. A united, democratic, secure Europe, open to the world, is urgently needed today. Afterwards it may be too late.
