Con le spalle al muro, l’Europa deve abbracciare il federalismo

Economically, with 23% of global GDP, an enlarged Europe (including Britain and Switzerland) is almost on the level of the United States (26%) already and well ahead of China (16%). Its companies also have a strong presence on international markets: in the latest Fortune 500 ranking of the world’s largest companies, we are on a par with the American and Chinese giants.

But it is a fact, and we can ‘thank’ Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin for dispelling our illusions: at a time of this massive and belligerent return of empires, our political impotence cannot continue. With each crisis, Europe is slow to react. With each threat, it responds in a disorganised manner. 

It must be said that its hybrid governance, based on three political bodies – the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Council representing the states – leads to inertia and complexity that are hardly compatible with the demands of the moment. This has been evident in our procrastination surrounding the war, our naivety in the face of Beijing’s commercial aggression, and our differences over how to respond to Washington’s sabre-rattling.

The diagnosis has long been made, and we are doomed to decline if we do not react quickly and vigorously. To this end, strengthening the single market, reducing national regulations and bureaucracy, and integrating financial, telecommunications and energy systems are essential short-term objectives. But the real issues now go beyond the economic sphere alone. It is the political status quo that is no longer tenable, especially since many of our fellow citizens perceive today’s Europe as ineffective, talkative and illegitimate.

The other path, mentioned in particular by Mario Draghi, is that of moving towards true federalism, with a pragmatic first phase: a coalition of willing states ready to move forward together in strategic areas such as advanced technologies, defence and critical infrastructure. Deeper integration would see a strengthened European executive – while reaffirming the principle of subsidiarity – finally enabling challenges that transcend national borders to be addressed at the appropriate level and giving it a power to act that does not currently exist.

A survey conducted in Italy at the beginning of this year sheds some light on the situation: 61% of those questioned said they were in favour of moving towards a federal union – a position held by a large majority, including within Giorgia Meloni’s Fratelli d’Italia party. Only 4% of respondents are in favour of maintaining the status quo.

There’s too much nationalist ego for the EU to federalize. Perhaps if the major players had planned it before 1990.

In such an arrangement, Europe’s smaller and less affluent countries risk feeling as they did under the USSR, where only the Kremlin’s opinion mattered and local discontent was successfully suppressed.

After all, everyone understands that all decisions will be made by just 5 or 6 European countries. The compromises will be struck between them, and the rest will be left with whatever scraps those powers deign to toss their way.

No, it must not.

I feel like instead of focusing on federalization and possibly undermining the sovereignty of smaller member states, the EU needs to form a united military.

The EU needs to serve the member states, not the other way around.

Why is this sub pushing for fed so bad???

>With its back against the wall, Europe must embrace federalism

First and above Europe needs to make sure nazis, extreme-right and other shitheads cannot grab power when Europe would federalize. Looking at the USA as an example…

You will embrace the death

No. Fuck this fedaral retardation that has been pushed on reddit the last week.

Europe will NEVER federalize.

I think it should. But I speak four languages, have a strong grasp and my culture, and moved around Europe. I am not Europe, I am a special case. Nationalism, elitism and populism is way more prevalent in both people and politicians than redditors think (only because we tend to stay in specific bubble subs).