Europe’s Test Is a Stronger Union, Not a Looser One
In a more dangerous world, Europe’s answer cannot be retreat or fragmentation. It must be a deeper, more confident union — one that turns shared challenges into lasting strength.
For decades, the European Union has been a remarkable experiment — a union of former adversaries choosing cooperation over conflict, rules over raw power. It has delivered peace, prosperity and a shared sense of purpose to a continent that once knew too much division.
Yet today, that achievement is again under strain. A more assertive Russia, a less predictable America and a world order in flux have exposed uncomfortable truths. Europe can no longer rely on the assumptions that once guaranteed its security and influence. The question before us is not whether the EU should change, but whether it has the political will to become stronger rather than looser.
Calls for a “return to national control” may be politically seductive, but they offer no credible solution to the challenges we face. In a world of continental powers and global competition, smaller, fragmented European states would be less secure, less prosperous and less able to shape their own destiny.
The stronger union argued for in this fictional column is a practical arrangement for sharing responsibilities that no member can manage well alone. Defence procurement, energy connections and research funding offer different examples. Each needs a clear purpose, a rule for contributions and a method for resolving disagreement.
Deeper cooperation also requires democratic explanation. Citizens should be able to see which decisions remain national, which are shared and who answers for poor results. A union gains strength when joint action becomes both effective and accountable, rather than when its institutions simply accumulate more powers.
Illustrated inaugural edition · Fictional editorial copy