A future-wise European Parliament
June 2024
These days, people across Europe are discussing their choices, hopes and expectations for the European Parliament election from 6 to 9 June. This makes me return to my blog post of December last year ‘All I want for Christmas is EU (Opens in a new window)’. This election might be essential for the Christmas wish to become true. The composition of the next European Parliament will frame the options for unity and goodwill at a larger scale, and thus for a future-proof EU.
As fragmentation and discontent are on the rise, also many EU citizens have the chance to vote for more of a collective objective for the EU to thrive for good future perspectives for its citizens.
Recalling the early days of European integration, declarations by Altiero Spinelli, Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, to just name a few, were underpinned by positive future visions and a call for collective objectives and actions. Also later, many achievements of European integration, including the Single European Market, the Euro, the Schengen Agreement, ERASMUS programmes etc., were driven by forward looking visions and political declarations. Many of them were more ambitious than current debates about Europe.
In rough terms, since 2008 Europe navigates through turbulent times and operates more or less in permacrisis modus. Constant changes, transitions and uncertainties and the insight that there cannot be a bouncing back to a pre-crisis equilibrium pose ever new challenges to people and decision makers.
So far, however, rather than bringing us together around collective objectives and actions, they seem to drive us a part. We witness growing social and economic disparities, increasing societal and territorial fragmentations and growing discontent feeding tribalism.
At the same time, there are plenty of examples that we are ‘in it together’. A few years ago, an unintentional interruption in a power line between Denmark and Germany led to a power outage in Spain. During COVID-19, we saw how the closure of borders between certain countries hindered the supply of services, access to goods, and access to seasonal and farm workers across the EU. More recently, the war in Ukraine is affecting the price of energy and agricultural products in many different ways. We could continue this list indefinitely. This would also extend beyond economic aspects to environmental issues – such as pollution or minimum standards – to social aspects – such as welfare systems, education, and social networks – to technical and political aspects.
The reasons why we seem to lack a shared positive future perspectives or visions are manyfold. There are economic challenges including the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, high energy prices and other economic impact of geopolitical tensions, which seem to feed increasing protectionist reflexes. There are political fragmentations with highly diverse political landscapes at the level of EU member states and within countries. Political diversity and its differing priorities and visions make it challenging to create a unified, positive future perspective, especially when populist and short-term thinking dominate the debates. There are social issues including rising inequality, migration challenges, and other social concern which tend to put different societal groups against each other and make it difficult to focus on positive future visions. There are geopolitical tensions including Russia’s war on Ukraine, the war in Gaza, and increasing protectionism affecting free trade around the globe. The complex dynamics of global trade and diplomacy can create a sense of uncertainty about the future. There are environmental concerns. The ongoing challenge of climate change and environmental degradation is a significant concern in Europe and the world. While there are efforts to address these issues, they often highlight the scale of the problem, and the discussion of possible solutions often turn into debates about potential winners and losers. There is a media focus on immediate challenges and conflicts, which can overshadow positive developments or long-term visions. This can create a perception that there are few positive perspectives.
The above and many other factors make it more difficult to come together in the EU and formulate a forward-looking collective objective to thrive for. At the same time, the very same factors and challenges that seem to drive us apart, make integration and a coordination of policies in Europe indispensable. They are too big to be solved single-handed and should remind us that “united we stand, divided we fall”.
People and places in the EU are very diverse. We need to appreciate this diversity more. We also need to ensure that all people and places in the EU benefit from the union and have positive future prospects. And that social and economic gaps can be reduced—both across the EU (between people in Paris and the countryside in Romania) and within each country and region. That is why the EU needs a strong cohesion policy. Cohesion policy is fundamentally the glue that holds the EU together.
What if we focus on the bright side? The EU does engage in long-term planning and has various initiatives aimed at promoting a positive future, such as the European Green Deal, digital transformation strategies, and various policies promoting integration, recovery, resilience and last but not least economic, social and territorial cohesion. The complexity and diversity of the EU mean that positive developments may not always be immediately apparent or widely publicised.
Nevertheless, there is a wide range of collective objectives and collective actions in the EU which bring numerous benefits to its citizens. Pushing them even further, rather than giving way to tribalism and fragmentation, would aggravate the advantages of EU integration. This ranges from
collective action on environmental issues, such as climate change, pollution, and resource management, to ensure the livelihood of future generations;
collaborative efforts in healthcare, education, and social security which lead to higher standards and more equitable access to these services across member states;
opportunities for citizens to work, study, and travel across the EU, which benefits individuals but also strengthens economic and cultural ties;
cultural collaboration and exchange which can enhance mutual understanding, tolerance, and strengthen shared European identity or sense of unity among EU citizens;
pooling of resources and expertise across member states to accelerate innovation and technological development to generate benefits more rapidly and reduce dependencies in critical sectors;
economic and industrial policies to increase our global competitiveness;
collective influence in international negotiations, standard setting process, trade agreements, and diplomatic relations, benefiting EU citizens through better international cooperation; to
united approach to security and defence that enhance the safety and well-being of EU citizens.
Pushing collective objectives and actions makes the EU a better place, offering hopeful future perspectives. Doing it together with the people in Europe, acknowledging the territorial diversity and the need for place-based definition of the contributions to the collective objectives and actions, it can strengthen cohesion and integration.
Therefore, I hope the European Parliament elections can help to shape a future where the EU not only stands united in facing challenges but also celebrates its diversity as a source of strength. A future where coordinated policies are not just plans on paper, but collective actions that uplift every citizen.
Most importantly: The EU means that we are in it together. People and places in the EU are not just mutually dependent on each other. The EU is created by people and places within the EU. You, I, and everyone else in the EU shape it. We make it alive, reinvent it, and change it every day. The EU is not just administrations in Brussels and endless meetings between national ministers. The EU is us. We are in it together, and together we can achieve more.
All visions, policies, documents, and initiatives are made and shaped by people who engage in the processes. There are many ways to do this. The first step is to realise that we are not recipients or victims of the EU, but each of us is an actor shaping it. This can start with active participation in the EU parliamentary elections in June.
by Kai Böhme
