From Europe Day to a Federal Europe’s Century

Yesterday we celebrated Europe Day, commemorating the Schuman Declaration of May 9, 1950. Although what we now call the European Union is subject to countless criticisms, it is undeniably a success story. Correlation is not causation, but it is difficult not to see a causal connection between the existence of European institutions and the peace and freedom enjoyed by those fortunate enough to belong to the club. Many more countries want to join, and the country that chose to leave serves as a reminder of the folly of that decision.

But today is not a time merely to celebrate past successes; it is a time to prepare for the future. The European Union is the best remedy against nationalism ever devised, yet nationalism remains alive and threatening. Nationalism is one of the elements that fascism and nationalist populism (two distinct phenomena) share in common. The belief that there is something inherently special about being German, Spanish, Catalan, Basque, or Welsh — and that this justifies placing identity above all else — continues to poison political life both locally and internationally.

Today, nationalist populism creates a vicious circle that is difficult to break. In my view, only the European Union and the institutions within and around it are capable of stopping it. It fuels this vicious circle by promoting disastrous policies — such as Brexit or the sabotage of vaccine research — which in turn generate social discontent. That discontent is then exploited by nationalist populist demagogues and opportunists, such as Farage, the leaders of Vox, and similar groups across Europe, to gain further political support. National, regional, and local democratic parties struggle to offer compelling alternatives capable of stopping the populist snowball. Only integrated policies possess the scale and strength necessary to defeat it.

The poison spread by Farage, Le Pen, and Meloni is no less dangerous simply because they present a more polished version of Trumpism. They threaten democracy and everything Europe has achieved over the last six decades. The failure of nation-states, acting alone, to guarantee peace and democracy should be acknowledged, and the gradual blurring of borders through federalism should become a common objective for all those committed to freedom.

A federal Europe can today be advanced by an avant-garde of countries willing to accelerate military, financial, and political integration, just as was done with the euro and the Schengen Area. Europe faces many challenges, and all of them will be easier to address through the combination of unity, diversity, and democracy that federalism makes possible.