The emperor has no clothes: What Europe did next
These past weeks have confirmed that the challenge ahead goes well beyond strengthening the European pillar of NATO. At stake is the future of the overall architecture Europeans shaped after the end of the Cold War. For decades, the division of labour was clear: the EU focused on economics, NATO on security. This settlement no longer holds. What is Europe’s political answer to 2025?
European electorates increasingly feel the promise of Europe has turned sour. They sense that the emperor is naked – weak, exposed and ridiculed.
European leaders face a rising tide of disillusion: The narrative that liberal democracy no longer delivers has become not only a threat to political careers, but entire political systems, including the EU itself.
One obvious response is emancipation – not from the US or NATO, but through a renewed choice for Europe. Unfortunately, this appears the least likely option. Why?
As a starting point, European leaders – within and beyond the EU, depending on willingness to commit – should articulate a renewed choice for Europe with a lean declaration. This would include a commitment to democracy, human rights, the rule of law and multilateralism; to fair collaboration, including via joint institutions, to serve Europe’s citizens; to a pathway towards a European security framework that integrates EU resources into a new security architecture in the medium term; to a meaningful collective strategy to catch up on technology; and to a forward-looking, confident approach to opportunity in a fast-changing world.
Not long ago, such a declaration might have seemed out of place. Today, the opposite is true: deafening silence will result in defeat.
Almut Möller is Director for European and Global Affairs and head of the Europe in the World programme at the European Policy Centre.
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