Draw on the EU’s strengths: its institutions and its sustainability-savvy companies
If we were to push political union, what would it entail? At the very least fiscal harmonization, a common budget, and political leadership that would be able to balance all the interests in the different countries and regions. As it stands, we have a community of national governments, with efficient coordinating institutions that preserve the common good.
These institutions range from political parties, NGOs and local entities to Eurovision (an inclusive institution that creates cohesion through competition) and the justice system. Our rule of law has been about since the Middle Ages, while our health and education systems guarantee the provision of talent and quality of life. European media, with its diversity and freedom of expression, guarantees that all voices are heard and that minority rights are respected.
Rather than pushing rigid political union, we take these precious institutions and bring them closer to the people, align them better with national governments, and encourage them to work on having more flexible representation; one that reflects the population of each of the member countries?
Sustainability will be a key differentiator in our future. Europe is leagues ahead of the US and China in the promotion of green industries and technologies, the reduction of carbon emissions and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
As it stands today, four out of the five largest companies in the renewable energy sector are European. European regulation, as well as changing European customers’ attitude towards sustainability, explain such dominance.
The EU’s Green Deal is the culmination of our efforts to transform Europe into a zero-emissions area by 2050. As pioneers in this race, European companies will be attractive to consumers worldwide. The deal will attract capital and give EU companies a license to operate; it will create jobs in a context in which technology is eating up opportunities for individuals to find jobs easily.
Europe: know your enemies
Mentions of the term “Next Generation EU” (the pan-European recovery plan) abounded in the media during 2020 and into 2021. However, among the top 15 media outlets reporting on the plan, only one (Dow Jones) is not from the EU.
Let us not pay too much attention to officials from countries more interested in undermining the position of the EU in the world economy than in promoting one of the most successful adventures in European history. After all, the EU’s worst enemies have always been outside of the Union, not inside.
Between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2020, there have been 3,968 mentions of the phrase “euro break-up” in published media. Among them, 25% correspond to either the Wall Street Journal or Dow Jones newswires, while 35% can be attributed to UK media including the Financial Times and The Times. Among the top-15 sources with mentions of these words, only two (Börsen-Zeitung and Il Sole) are from the EU.