United Europe, an ongoing challenge

‘We must build a kind of United States of Europe’ , Sir Winston Churchill

The old continent, cradle of western civilization. Stimulated by the Enlightenment, Europe produced groundbreaking sciences, innovative art movements and revolutionary inventions. A continent also infamous however for countless wars, authoritarian regimes led by brutal dictators, and immense poverty throughout its long history.

After two World Wars, started and largely fought in Europe, the continent went through a major change. European countries in the fifties of the previous century started to cooperate, based on a strong belief among leading post-war politicians that this was the only way to guarantee security and prosperity. Preceded by the establishment of NATO in 1949, a security alliance between the USA, Canada and ten Western European countries, six European countries signed a treaty on the 18th of April 1951 to combine their coal and steel industry. Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg form the European Coal and Steel Community assuring they can’t produce weapons of war to turn against each other. Fueled by the success of the Coal and Steel Community the same countries signed in 1957 two subsequent treaties, known as the treaties of Rome, leading to the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Community (Euratom) in 1958. On the 19th of March that year the European Parliamentary Assembly, predecessor of the European Parliament, gathered for the first time in the French city of Strasbourg.

Over time the EEC grew steadily. Danmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom join in 1973. The increasing prosperity worked like a magnet and even ended authoritarian regimes in Greece, Spain and Portugal, making way for democracies to become members in the nighty-eighties. The growth and increasing cooperation between the twelve member states led to the treaty of Maastricht and the establishment of the European Union (EU) in 1992. The free movement of people, services, goods and money was introduced, followed by a single common currency in 2001. More countries joined the partnership. The EU now counts 28 member states and ten candidate countries.

Shaped by multinational institutions, European unification became a resounding success if we look at the post-war objectives of the founding fathers: security and prosperity. Over the past seventy years very few wars have been fought on European soil. Poverty gave way for the welfare state. Social security largely eradicated poverty. Authoritarian regimes were replaced by democracies and the rule of law.

But times change. After occupying Crimea in 2014 Russia invaded Ukraine, and again a bloody war takes place on European soil. Europe simply doesn’t have military capabilities to secure its borders and needs the American NATO allies against further Russian aggression. However, US support is far from certain, now that the Republican Party is dominated by right-wing populists and Trump may win the 2024 elections. China is Europe’s main trading partner when it comes to imports and the third largest export market. Despite the close trade relations, or perhaps because of the intensive economic ties between European countries and China, a growing number of European politicians consider China a threat to the economic security of the European Union. More and more evidence seems to support this view; China is increasingly seeking more power and influence through digital espionage, illegal exports and clandestine investments. And then there is the political climate in Europe itself; populist parties gain support in many European nations, including those taking the first steps towards European unification. Characteristic of right-wing populism is their Euroscepticism, falsely claiming their counties would be better off without ‘Brussels’.

Although the benefits that the European past-war cooperation has yielded are evident, most EU member states desperately cling to their sovereignty, assuming that otherwise their self-determination, cultural heritage, beloved traditions and maybe even their language will be lost. Sadly though, European citizens will pay a high price for preserving what is considered their national identities. Operating as a ‘soft power’, Europe’s geopolitical insignificance will increasingly affect security and prosperity, the very foundations of European unification. We’re facing declining competitiveness, increasing geopolitical conflicts and possible destabilization of democratic institutions if the EU proves unable to implement drastic reforms in the short term. In other words: less security and less prosperity. Further integration of the member states therefore is indispensable, only a federal Europe can provide sufficient counterbalance to the superpowers US and China. Member states that share core values should give up their sovereignty regarding foreign policy, defense and other crucial policy areas, in favor of further integration and a stronger Europe, even acting as a ‘hard power’ if necessary. The EU leadership must be strengthened by abolishing the veto and moving to majority decision-making. The EU needs its own defense industry to overcome the heavy dependency of the US. Moreover, Europe should also have its own army, or at least operate as one army within NATO. Thus, the EU will be able to act more self-confidently towards the US, as an equal partner, and taking decisive action against Chinese interference, business espionage and unfair competition.

Transforming the EU into a ‘kind of United States of Europe’ as Sir Winston Churchill put it in his post-war speech on the 19th of September 1946, would be the toughest reform since the beginning of the European unification process. An enormous challenge that will generate huge resistance. The outcome of the 2024 European Parliament election will most likely show a very different sentiment. Populist parties oppose ‘Brussels’ and further integration, telling their voters they are better off with less Europe or even with leaving the EU. Yet, Europe is more united than ever. The crises of recent years have forced countries to cooperate more rather than less. NATO, declared braindead just about five years ago, is now bigger and stronger than ever before after Finland and Sweden gave up their neutrality in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The covid pandemic taught us that the EU is a strong negotiator vis-a-vis the pharmaceutical industry and that cooperation in combating the virus has contributed to its rapid reduction. The immense problems we face transcend national interests and executive powers. Only international partnerships can build solutions for major issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, artificial intelligence, migration, terrorism and violations of territorial integrity.  

Will ‘a kind of United States of Europe’, as pointed out by Sir Winston Churchill, ever happen? The far-reaching reform needed to realize this concept would mean that member states give up an important part of their sovereignty, and perhaps even parts of what residents consider unique aspects of their national identity. As drastic as that may seem, it’s actually a no-brainer, considered that national interests simply do not outweigh the importance of security, prosperity, democracy and maintaining the rule of law. Only a united Europe has the power to uphold the distinctive core values that make the continent such an attractive place to live. All Europe needs is the leadership to take the next step in the inevitable process of unification.