A European Federation, from concept to reality

‘There is nothing like a dream to create the future’

Victor Hugo

Thinking or dreaming about one Europe. It happened for as long as the old continent has existed. Some even took action, trying to unite Europe by conquering and dominating it. A fairly superficial concept, applied several times by infamous rulers – Julius Caesar, Charles the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitler, just to name a few. A concept with at least one major flaw though, as history taught us; coercion and oppression are not sustainable, simply because civilians don't accept it and will sooner or later revolt against the injustice. So, let's turn to revolutionary thinkers, visionaries and scientists for their ideas of Europa as a united entity.

Victor Hugo, the great French poet and novelist who was the first to use the name ‘United States of Europe’, held powerful speeches during a series of peace conferences in the second half of the nineteenth century. Tired of the endless warfare, he predicted a future in which wars between merged European nations would be as absurd as wars between the merged provinces of France. After the turbulent revolution of 1848 Hugo told his audience optimistically: “A day will come when your weapons will fall from your hands!” and “A day will come when the bullets and the bombs will be replaced by votes, by the universal suffrage of peoples, by the venerable arbitration of a great sovereign senate which will be to Europe what parliament is to England". However far his foresight reached, Victor Hugo did not present a detailed concept of how to create his ‘European Brotherhood’. He was clear about some principles though; the United States of Europe must be a republic, with representation based on universal suffrage.

It would take until after the first World War before well-established concepts for European unification were developed. European federalism took shape during the interwar period. Count Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi gave federalism in the nineteen twenties an important boost with the establishment of the Pan-European Union. When the multi-ethnic and multicultural Habsburg dual monarchy fell apart, the count saw that Europe was torn by nationalism and was convinced that European nations had to work together and become a world power, alongside the USA and Russia. The Pan-European Union is the oldest European unity movement and still exists. The ideas of von Coudenhove-Kalergi gained admiration among a wide group of prominent European scientists and politicians, including Albert Einstein, the French president Charles de Gaulle and the first (West-) German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. Although the ideas of the Pan-European Union are in many ways quite conservative, the federalist ideas of von Coudenhove-Kalergi now often are the target of malicious conspiracy theories from the populist far right.

Federalists mainly focus on the political side of European unification. They point out so called ‘critical junctures’, pivotal moments that offer an opportunity to accelerate European integration and emphasize the need to influence public opinion. Federalists do not agree about how to move forward though. Some advocate the ‘big bang’ transformation, with courageous politicians taking the lead. Others want a more gradual path by winning over European residents for a joint constitution.

Over time, the weaknesses of the federalist concept have been criticized and other concepts for European unification emerged. Some critics feared a European federation would inevitably lead to centralization of power and European nationalism, causing other superpowers to be seen as a threat. Other critics pointed out that a federal Europe directed by a central government reduces democratic quality of Europe and will increase its citizens’ distrust of the government. Moreover, a majority of the population is not at all in favor of a European superstate critics say and citizens will oppose it.   

Considering all this, should Europe become a federation with a central government, or remain a confederation of sovereign member states? The EU needs drastic changes, no doubt. Europe must prepare for a new world order, where the supremacy of the West is being replaced by large power blocks that need balance each other. We will gradually lose our privileged position in the world, now that Asian superpowers like China and India are claiming their rightful position. At the same time though, Europe has to defend its core values, the very principles of the Enlightenment that their citizens consider crucial aspects of freedom, our security and economic interests. In its current form the EU is not equipped to do so. The confederation as is, an association of independent sovereign states cooperating based on treaties, simply lacks the strength to counterbalance superpowers with different values and interests. Hungary’s numerous vetoes on crucial issues are a clear example of this. It shows the primacy of one’s own national interests over the common interests and significantly weakens the position of the EU in the international arena.

Europe urgently needs to take a huge step forward, even more drastic than all previous steps towards European unity. In my opinion it’s clear that Europe must transform into a federation consisting of member states that transfer their sovereignty in crucial policy areas to a joint supranational government. The EU should, like most of the member states, become a parliamentary democracy, based on a sound constitution, upholding the rule of law and guarantee the fundamental and universal rights of its citizens. A political system in which majority decisions determine policies, without veto power for participating states. A secular republic, based on humanitarian values, guaranteeing ‘freedom of conscience’, meaning that every civilian has the right to believe or not to believe, as religion is considered a private matter. A soft power by choice, bound by international law. But also a nuclear power with its own defense industry and an army of suitable size, for a credible deterrent and prepared to defend our core values and interests.

The United States of Europe, a federation of European countries. Will that dream ever become reality? Maybe, maybe not. Critical junctions, as federalists call them, will determine that. It’s hard to predict if and when circumstances occur that will lead to a true federal Europe. But hey, who believed in the nineteen eighties of the previous century that the wall separating Western and Eastern Europe would fall? Very few. And who thought five years ago that Finland, a country with a long tradition of neutrality, would join NATO? Not many. And yet, it happened.