It’s too early to mourn Europe
With the state the world is in, and with the particular challenges that Europe faces, it is very tempting to argue that Union will not last, that the continent’s people are condemned to return to endless warfare. It looks as if the things that kept Europe together are weakening: the memories of the most brutal war in history, a sense of State and Citizen based on the Enlightenment, the military (and thus diplomatic) hegemony of the United States in a Pax Americana that benefited the people of Western Europe. Today, the European Union appears incapable of hewing its own course, remaining in the shadow of an unpredictable America. Its nations are divided under the pressure of immigration flows even as they face a major demographic problem. The wars in Ukraine and Gaza are just the latest proof that even in issues that are crucial to it, Europe plays a secondary role.
But mourning for Europe may be premature, owing more to its enemies’ gloating and supporters’ defeatism than to a rational appraisal of the Union’s potential and weaknesses. Some believe that the rise of rightwing, Euroskeptic parties is proof that things are falling apart. Others see mass immigration as a death knell for Europe’s values and way of life of the past few decades. Others consider an excessive, paralytic sensitivity to issues such as the climate crisis and protection of personal privacy and human rights as proof of Europe’s hard power and lack of entrepreneurial vigor. Others, in turn, accuse it of too little sensitivity, of collusion in the climate crisis (with 7 percent of global emissions coming from Europe) and conflicts such as the one in Gaza. Indeed, the great variety in opinions and groups in Europe contribute to an endless political ferment which makes it difficult to decide on a unified strategy, let alone on imposing it. But it is perhaps this weakness which is the Union’s secret strength. Here, citizens and their rights are at the forefront of governments’ concerns. Without the population’s approval, nothing can be done.
If the value and empowerment of every citizen seems like weakness (because it leads to political fragmentation), it is the basic ingredient of the Union’s success so far and the foundation for its future. With close to 500 million citizens living under the rule of law, aside from what it produces, Europe is a superpower in terms of consumption, in services and in regulations and mechanisms for handling problems. The challenges are many. Governments and the Union try to solve them by seeking the greatest good for the largest number of society’s members. Where else would collective prosperity, personal security and justice be at the center of politics?
