If ever there was a time for Geopolitical Europe to step up to the plate, it was this week. It is safe to say the EU catastrophically missed its appointment with history. Within the span of one week, the European Commission managed to reduce its claim to being a “geopolitical Commission” to ashes, and with it the credibility of its President. The communications mess on ending, then not ending, then reviewing, and finally tripling aid to Gaza was a cluster f**k of the highest category. There are moments in history where you cannot fail. This was one.
When the chaos broke out, President Von der Leyen, usually quite keen on a photo opportunity, was conspicuously absent. When she eventually did speak out, she chose not to share the nuanced line like that of the US government, the UN, the EU High Representative and many member state governments. Instead she opted for a strong partisan line, and refrained from any reference to international law and human rights. Von der Leyen could have chosen to unite Europe, to take the lead in international efforts for a process leading to de-escalation and solutions. Instead her stance divided Europe and disqualified the EU as a geopolitical actor.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, Von der Leyen has lost one, possibly two of her top Vice Presidents. Her Polish Commissioner is moonlighting as an advisor to the Polish government on how to ignore EU rules, the rebel Hungarian Commissioner is at the core of the Gaza communication disaster, the Swedish Commissioner is getting sucked into a very murky social media campaign story, while the Austrian Commissioner has been busy for over a year, feeding rumours about a deal to release EU funding for Orbán the anti-democrat. Von der Leyen herself has seen the botched “Tunisia deal” is blow up in her face, while her ugly tug of war over secret text messages with the CEO of Pfizer has become a lasting testament to her disdain for accountability. The leadership of Von der Leyen - in short - seems to be shipwrecked. The only one scoring some points amidst the storm of criticism, Charles Michel saw a chance to finally get the better of his arch-rival. But other than his short-lived feeling of victory, there were only losers in this play.
It is not just a matter of personality or individual leadership qualities. Europe wants to be a geopolitical superpower in the Champions League, but it is being run like the local amateur football club. While the old world order is collapsing, the national governments and the Commission rely on reflexes of the past, as they are desperately clinging to an anachronistic governance system. The European Council is spectacularly dysfunctional and ill-equipped to provide direction and a vision for the future. Europe is like a ship without a captain. The sailors are not bickering over what course to sail, but over who gets to hold the steering wheel. Without fail they end up agreeing that no-one will. If you thought the geopolitical navigation deck of the S.S. Europe was a mess, wait until you see the engine room. The unprecedented number of EU Commissioners gone rogue or gone altogether is a symptom of deeper root problem. Everyone keeps pretending Europe is doing fine, but in reality corrosion has eaten through the hull. Even the traditional trump card - Europe as an economic superpower - has gone, as Europe is dropping in all relevant rankings.
Europe cannot continue with a fragile constitutional framework that is at risk of collapse with every single national election. A sigh of relief could be heard in Brussels and many capitals, when exit-polls in Poland suggested Europe would be pulled back from the brink by an election win for the democratic opposition in Poland. Another five years of PiS government has the potential of dealing a critical blow to the European Union. We still get Fico though, and we’re keeping Viktor.
There is no reason for the usual European complacency. Enough of the sleepwalking. A bit of minor tinkering will not do the trick, especially with another half a dozen new countries ready to join. It is high time for radical change. Europe can be a real geopolitical giant, an economic powerhouse, a leader in innovation and climate policies, bring social justice and equality to its people, create a safe, healthy, prosperous and free area for half a billion people, with the best quality of life in the world. We can achieve this, if we have the power of imagination, the ability to imagine the world we want to build. And the courage to embark on real change, to let go of the familiar and to dare to go out of our comfort zone. Difficult? Hell yes! Will there be a cost? Sure! But doing nothing will make things infinitely more difficult and costly in the long run.
It is time for a big leap ahead. That proposition will be on the ballot paper in 2024.
News
Opinion: European Commission misleads citizens with disinformation campaign - Volkskrant
EU is a sanctuary for spyware - Next Inpact
Passport for Sale - FTM
Activities
16-19 October 2023 - European Parliament Plenary Session in Strasbourg
28 October 2023 - Volt Belgium General Assembly