In these times of wars, Europe will have to reinvent itself if it wants to have a future. Increasing Europe’s capacity to define and implement its own strategy in the face of the major conflicts of our time will be key. In the war in the Middle East, we need to be firm to disable […]
President of FEPS and former Vice-President of the S&D group in the European Parliament
The signs of crisis in the system of global governance created after the Second World War are multiplying. If these trends continue, it is not difficult to predict that we will have, in addition to a West that can no longer lead the world alone, a fragmented and weakened multilateral system, incapable of responding to […]
The terms and the time horizon of a peace solution in Ukraine remain highly uncertain and will shape our possible futures for the times ahead. But this should not delay a stronger response to the challenges of the 21st century we are confronted with. The outlook for 2023 clearly shows that we are entering a […]
In her recent speech about the State of the Union, President Von der Leyen was right to focus on the challenges raised by the war in Ukraine, but she was short on a long-term vision, and on a plan to cope with its real nature. Yes, the war in our continent is certainly the central […]
By granting candidate status to Ukraine and Moldova and by recommitting to the EU membership of the Western Balkans, the European Union opened a new phase of its enlargement which will redesign the European political map again. It was undoubtedly the right decision to assert European sovereignty and also to welcome an embattled country which is showing with bravery that it belongs to the European future and not to a war of the past. A war of the past in Europe because it combines the clash of empires of WW I with the clash of political regimes of WW II. The future in Europe is being created by the values of freedom, equality, solidarity, democracy and sustainability and by a process of European integration which involves enlargement but also deepening. Deepening is a pre-condition for successful enlargement. But as enlargement has now become a political and moral imperative, the issue today is not about choosing between one or another. It is rather about how to make both with a new approach.
The time seems to have come when the EU has to assume itself as a geopolitical entity, with an enhanced role and responsibility in global governance and towards its neighbourhood. Let us see the first decisions that will be taken by the extraordinary European Council meeting this week in Versailles. The implications of the war […]