Carme Colomina: "Europe must believe in itself again and not try to be something else"

BrusselsThe journalist and Cidob researcher Carme Colomina has just published Europe is a state of mind (Ara Llibres). The former correspondent in Brussels and collaborator of ARA analyzes the current state of the European project and the challenges it faces, and offers clues on how to overcome them.

What is the state of mind of the European Union?

— She is scared, she feels vulnerable and weak. Everything she believed in and that reaffirmed her is in question: the major political families, especially the social democratic one – which agreed on the European construction – and the post-World War II order. Furthermore, her traditional ally, the United States, despises and humiliates her. The world is no longer Eurocentric. Even the principles and values with which she defined herself are in doubt.

Why does he/she/it state that Europe is not adapting to the current world?

— There are several factors, both external and internal. The world has changed and demographically Europeans are a little more irrelevant. In 1990 we were 25% of the planet's inhabitants, now we are 6% and soon 4%. There is also a rebalancing of powers, there are new international actors and the EU has lost geopolitical influence.

And what are the internal factors?

— The EU has more and more member states and also has many different positions. Nor is there a shared vision of always moving towards greater political integration. This enters into crisis with Brexit, and consensus breaks down. Despite this, and the rise of the far-right, now nobody wants to leave the EU, but rather wants to take control of European institutions. The far-right is already achieving this. It has been seen with the migration reform.

How can Europe regain optimism?

— Europe is not so bad and should realize it. It is not aware of what it has positive and what it contributes to the world. For me, however, it has not yet understood its role, and it has to relearn how to navigate this world. It is in a process of rearmament and towards something that I don't know if Europe will ever be, while it often despises what makes it different. For example, it is a reliable and highly sought-after commercial player, and it was a project for wealth redistribution. What I demand is that Europe once again believe in itself. We must be Europe and not try to be something else.

In the book it is noted that the first ones not to believe it seem to be the leaders themselves.

— They must trust more in the power of Europe. This is where it is seen that Europe is scared. There is a very important part of the EU that is convinced that it cannot get by without the security umbrella of the United States and that, therefore, if a certain degree of humiliation must be endured, it must be endured. And this is where I think they are wrong. Trump is an ally who despises vassalage and, on the other hand, is much more condescending towards strong powers. Vassalage will not make him respect us more.

Do you think European leaders, especially following the threats to Greenland or Iran's war, beginning to rebel against Trump?

— The EU is as weak as its leaders are, and we are in a moment of very weak leadership. [Emmanuel] Macron has been a lame duck for a long time, [Friedrich] Merz has only been in power for a year and has rock-bottom popularity. Furthermore, next year there are elections in four of the bloc's five largest countries – Italy, France, Spain, and Poland – and if the far-right does well, it will have a very big impact on European politics. This also means that we have very volatile leaderships, very insecure about themselves, and with very short agendas of national interests. It will also depend on the US midterm elections. If Trump also becomes a lame duck, there are two options: either Europe will feel stronger, or Trump will feel more challenged and become more vengeful, which can also be a problem for the EU.

The book also talks a lot about Angela Merkel, as one of the last strong leaders in the EU. She left to applause, but her legacy is increasingly in doubt.

— She has been the leader who has defined the EU in each of the major crises we have experienced at the beginning of this century. From the economic crisis to the migratory crisis, as well as in the relationship with Russia and Israel. Her vision of Europe – economic austerity, pro-Atlanticism, pro-Zionism, and dependence on Russian fossil fuels – has ended up weakening the EU. Be that as it may, Europe's solution is not strong leadership, but clear visions. We do not need more saviors; there have been too many, and many of these far-right forces also present themselves as saviors of a reality. I think the same of Von der Leyen, who tries to occupy all the political space she can in the European institutions.