The European Union is without doubt a huge success story which has contributed greatly to peace, security, stability, social justice and prosperity throughout the bloc ever since it was set up over 60 years ago.
However, its cohesion today faces both internal threats – from right-wing populists and nationalists who are doing their utmost to make gains in May’s European Parliament elections – as well as external ones such as Russia which will do whatever it can to destabilise the bloc through fake news and support for anti-EU movements.
The unfortunate presence of Donald Trump in the White House – who has made no secret of his hostility for the EU – has certainly not helped matters.
The EU has also faced a number of major challenges over the past decade, namely a eurozone crisis, a sudden large influx of migrants, and of course Brexit. The first two are largely under control – although their repercussions are still being felt today – while Brexit is still a ‘work in progress’ that has shaken the foundations of the EU and from which nothing positive will emerge.
Many European citizens are also feeling detached from the EU and its institutions. Sometimes this is because the EU, as well as individual governments of the Member States, lack an effective communication strategy aimed at explaining the many benefits of belonging to the bloc. And sometimes it is due to the fact that certain basic concerns of citizens are often ignored leaving people frustrated and forcing them to turn to populist or fringe parties for support.
The habit of certain politicians to bash Brussels and blame the EU for all their country’s problems (this happened in the UK and contributed to Brexit) is without doubt most unhelpful and leads to further alienation of citizens from the bloc. What is needed more than anything else now is for European leaders to not only strongly defend European values but to come out with concrete proposals to change the EU for the better.
We can’t let nationalists with no solutions exploit people’s anger
Unfortunately, there are not too many of these leaders willing to stick their necks out and come out with such proposals – with the exception of French President Emmanuel Macron.
To be fair, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has certainly led Europe through some very difficult times, and her combination of consensus-building skills coupled with her strong belief and defence of core EU values has certainly served Europe very well. Merkel has been a great European leader, and we owe her a lot, but she is no longer the leader of the CDU and she is to step down as Chancellor in 2021. While she will no doubt continue to play a key role in Europe’s future over the next two years, she can no longer be expected to be the architect of EU reform.
Three weeks ago President Macron put forward a number of very valid proposals to safeguard the future of the European Union. He called for the creation of an agency to protect the EU against cyberattacks and the spread of fake news and to ban foreign powers financing European political parties.
He also called for a European Council for Internal Security, which would consist of a Europe-wide border force agency and asylum office; a European Security Council that would have the UK on board, despite Brexit; and “a truly operational mutual defence clause” in a European defence and security treaty, whose terms would associate the EU with Nato.
Other proposals include an EU minimum wage; a European Climate Bank, which would finance the EU’s transition to “zero carbon by 2050 and pesticides halved by 2025”; a European food safety force; and a ‘Conference for Europe’ so that changes can be proposed and approved by EU institutions and Member States.
Significantly, Macron acknowledged Europe’s diversity and made reference to a “multi-speed Europe” or a “Europe of several circles”, which could certainly be the way forward for the EU. He also pointed out, rightly so, that there are many lessons to be learnt from Brexit.
Macron’s proposals can also be interpreted as an attempt to bolster pro-EU centrist parties before May’s European Parliament elections and to respond to the right-wing populist forces in Europe who often bad-mouth the EU without offering any plausible solutions. Macron’s vision is one of hope, it is positive and forward-looking, and it contrasts heavily with the pessimism of the populists.
Of course, not all of Macron’s proposals will be accepted by the rest of the bloc, and I can’t imagine there being a consensus over the need for an EU minimum wage. However, the precise content of Macron’s proposals at this stage is not that important: what is important is the fact that he is coming out with concrete suggestions for Europe’s future and he is taking on the populists.
“We can’t let nationalists with no solutions exploit people’s anger,” herightly wrote.
So far there has been a mixed reaction to Macron’s reform agenda. Merkel, her CDU successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz welcomed some of the proposals, such as the need for stronger EU external borders, but rejected others, such as the idea of a common EU minimum wage.
The important thing, however, is that a debate has begun and that one EU leader, Macron, has taken the initiative to revive and strengthen the EU.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece