Paper 18

Jul 7

3 min read

Wake up, Europe!

Faced with the conflict with Russia and the hegemonic pushes of the United States and China, Europe and each of its members are in danger, powerless and helpless. The Letta report (internal market) and the Draghi report (competitiveness) have exposed its weaknesses and propose a set of urgent corrective measures. Only 20% of the recommendations of the Draghi report (September 2024) have been implemented to date by Member States locked into the pseudo-defence of their so-called national interests.

Unable to take advantage of its strengths, Europe is on the way to disappearing as the master of its own destiny. The time for discussion is over; it is time for action backed by political courage!

Measures to be taken urgently:

1) Economic independence and international trade

Ask the European Parliament to analyse in depth, and where appropriate reject, the potentially damaging consequences of the US-EU Turnberry trade agreement.
Continue concluding economic agreements with new partners in order to break free from American, Chinese and Russian dependencies.
Protect European industry by imposing customs duties on non-European products when they are manufactured or offered under unfair conditions (China in particular).
In particular, implement the carbon tax, which makes a more significant contribution to the European budget without requiring a reform of the treaties.
Develop tax incentives to attract investors.
Accelerate the exploration and extraction of rare earths on the territory of the Union.
Invest massively in R&D, high technology and AI.
Create a European research and innovation agency (cf. the US DARPA).

2) Financing:

Complete the harmonisation of banking legislation.
Encourage European banks to come together and merge, in order to create players of sufficient size and establish a single capital market.
Convince Member States to finance the essential reforms through a large joint loan.

3) Economic growth, competitiveness and the internal market

Drastically reduce the administrative burden on businesses, compliance costs and redundant reporting obligations of every kind.
Complete the internal market by removing the remaining obstacles to the free movement of services and goods; implement the Draghi and Letta reports more quickly.
Liberalise the energy market, whose high prices undermine the competitiveness of businesses.

4) Defence and peacekeeping: as a priority,

Implement the European Council's “Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030”.
Strengthen the European defence industry through public and private funding.
Give priority to purchases of military equipment built in Europe.

5) Communication by the European institutions

In political speeches, at both European and national level, stress the concrete and positive impact of EU proposals on the daily lives of citizens, businesses and above all SMEs.
Change mindsets and the way citizens look at Europe, while explaining the functioning of the institutions more thoroughly.
Stress the radical change in the geopolitical environment, which requires massive investment in research and innovation as well as in defence.

Implementing these recommendations most often requires…

6) Reform of governance and the legibility of the institutions:

Elect Members of the European Parliament from lists put forward by the parties represented in the European Parliament rather than by national parties.
Directly elect a European president and reduce the number of commissioners.
Abolish the unanimity rule, which amounts to a right of veto for each Member State, and replace it with qualified majority voting (55% of States and 65% of the population); refuse enlargement as long as this reform is not in force.
Develop enhanced cooperation, as provided for by the European Treaties, so that decisions can be taken where the veto of one or more members prevents them, to the detriment of the Union and its members.

December 2025