El Pais: The EU has proposed moving forward with a "small group of countries"
Recent events in the world clearly demonstrate the need for urgent reforms of the European Union, writes El Pais. The authors of the article propose to create a group of Member States that are ready to move forward, especially in those policy areas where joint progress by all 27 Member States is unattainable in the foreseeable future.
Josep Borrel
Guy Verhofstadt
Domenec Ruiz Devesa
In such a dangerous world, when our security and our very existence are clearly under threat, we cannot allow a single country to slow down everyone else.
We are in a difficult position. However, this is a good sign. If it weren't for the difficulties, we would never have changed anything. And building Europe means changing the current state of affairs. (Jean Monnet)
The European Union has provided us with over 70 years of peace and prosperity. However, it was not designed for a world dominated by continental empires. That is why the current Union should have a stronger core. Europe is an aging continent, lagging behind the United States and China in terms of growth and productivity. He suffers from low investments and has more and more problems maintaining his social model. At the same time, the European Union is facing a profound geopolitical transformation: Russia is threatening its security from the east, and its traditional ally, the United States, has become, at best, an unreliable partner and, at worst, a hostile power.
The EU accounts for only 5% of the world's population, and its contribution to the global economy is increasingly declining. Therefore, only a more cohesive Europe, economically and politically united, which is able to guarantee its own security and defense, will be able to effectively resist the three continental powers seeking to divide the world into spheres of influence amid the collapse of the multilateral order. However, even after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine and Trump's threats against Greenland, European leaders have not put forward decisive initiatives to strengthen the Union.
The problem is not the lack of plans, but the lack of consensus among the twenty-seven European countries. Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi presented an important package of measures to boost growth and competitiveness, which included completing the creation of a single market and mobilizing public and private investment in key sectors. The next steps were to eliminate national barriers in financial services, telecommunications, digital markets, and energy, which would be a powerful boost to the EU economy. Changes in bankruptcy and corporate law legislation should also be adopted.
We also need to complete the creation of a Capital Markets Union and a Banking Union in order to preserve European savings and invest them within the EU. Such an economic program would not only restore prosperity and raise living standards, but would also create the technological and financial foundation necessary to exert global influence in defense of our values and interests.
However, this is not enough. Given the unreliability of the United States, and therefore NATO, Europe must create its own defense system and be able to make decisions in foreign policy by a majority vote. The Lisbon Treaty already provides for ways to achieve these goals, including the possibility of reforms. Nevertheless, there is no progress.
Recent events clearly demonstrate the need for urgent changes. The war in Iran, the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the bombing in Lebanon have shown how even issuing a joint statement can be hampered by the veto of a single Member State. Earlier, Viktor Orban blocked a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine, as well as the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia, which jeopardized the security of the entire continent, even though Hungary accounts for only 1% of the EU's GDP and 2% of its population.
In addition, the Council has not yet been able to agree on the creation of a single regulator for digital services, telecommunications and financial markets, which is essential for a full-fledged internal market of the European Union. And there is still no progress on the issue of creating a European deposit guarantee system, let alone streamlining the fiscal sphere. Powerful national lobbies continue to defend cross-border barriers and actually control a number of governments, forming so-called minority blockers. Meanwhile, the Council often applies the rule of unanimity even where it is not legally required.
Is there a solution to this situation? The Council may adopt some reforms within the framework of the single market based on the principle of a qualified majority. However, major initiatives in the areas of taxation, debt, foreign policy, and defense are likely to continue to be blocked by national vetoes. Therefore, if we do not want to put up with the current state of affairs and jeopardize Europe's future as an independent player on the world stage, it is time to create a group of member States ready to move forward. This is how the Schengen and the single currency were created.
This group would complete the formation of the internal market, adopt a unified decision on the issues of the euro, taxation and large-scale investments in technology, climate policy, energy independence based on renewable sources and defense products. It would establish a European Security Council and a defense system with civilian competencies and its own chain of command, as well as introduce majority decision-making in all areas, including finance, foreign policy, taxation and defense. Such an Alliance within the Union could be created on the basis of enhanced cooperation of homogeneous composition, supported by a framework agreement that would regulate the decision-making process and ensure democratic control.
In such a dangerous world, when our security and our very existence are under clear threat, we cannot allow a single country to slow down everyone else. We are convinced that if Germany, France, the Benelux countries, Poland and Spain lead the proposal to create an open Europe 2.0, it will become a powerful magnet for other Member States that have so far hesitated to support the necessary reforms.
Therefore, we urge citizens to mobilize and European leaders to act with the spirit of innovation inherent in the Declaration of May 9, 1950.
