WHEN EUROPE IS DISREGARDED

Europe has been absent from the political debate in the primaries of the right and centre parties in France. France was supposed to be the engine of the European construction but at this time it is not inclined to recognize the depth of the problems facing the EU and to reconsider the priorities for treating such problems.

The leaders of large political parties are very much aware that voters are broadly divided on European issues. Opening a real discussion on Europe they think may bring along the kind of problems the Conservative Party did experience in the UK. This explains why the primaries of the right and the centre parties in France have been avoiding the subject.  Beside, no one European leader seems to have a clear idea of how to go about a refound of Europe. No one European leader has either the charisma or the talent to inspire a coherent common policy.

Across all parties Europe has become the scapegoat for all problems: monetary and economics, security, migration. Talking about Europe has become unpopular at a time where the politically correct is about national withdrawal, closing borders etc. To talk about Europe without condemnation, it’s losing votes.

The European Union is in danger of breaking apart unless France and Germany, in particular, work harder to stimulate growth and employment and heed citizens’ concerns. The two countries, for decades the axis around which the EU revolved, have to help refocus the bloc to tackle an immigration crisis, a lack of solidarity between Member States, Britain’s looming exit, and terrorism.

The European Union has come to be dominated by the forces of nationalism. The European Union was meant to be a voluntary association of equals but the euro crisis turned it into a relationship between debtors and creditors where the debtors have difficulties in meeting their obligations and the creditors set the conditions that the debtors have to meet. That relationship is neither voluntary nor equal.

The political climate in Europe is favourable to populist rhetoric that has been fuelled by the refugee and migrant problems, which remain unresolved, as well as rising unemployment rates and weak social welfare policies. In addition, Brexit might not only close the door to European immigrants, but create more jobless in other European societies.

With few exceptions, European governments do not think or act strategically. And since they do neither, how then can they have the ambition to shape policy, especially on the EU level?

Instead of the EU forging a common strategic outlook, the union has achieved the opposite. Ambition, if it exists at all, is inward looking and based on the national level, on narrow interests, on short-term goals. Ambition seems to have little to do with projecting a strong EU even though this is precisely what the union should be doing.

Most countries neither see the relevance of Europe nor want to make Europe relevant. As long as this perception continues, Europe will slip further into decline unless EU leaders embrace real, strategic policy ambition for the continent.