Today marks the 70th anniversary of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill calling for a United States of Europe. But since the United Kingdom made the shock decision to leave the European Union (EU) in June, leaders of the 27 other European Union (EU) countries are debating the pros, the cons, policy, governance, and membership of the bloc.
This culminated with the EU heads of state – with the notable exception of the United Kingdom – convening in the Slovakian capital Bratislava last week for an informal summit to discuss the EU’s future.
Even as Europe approaches the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties, which established the European Economic Community (a predecessor to the EU), there remain divergent opinions as to what the EU represents and how it should evolve.
That’s most evident right at the very top of the EU with the differing views of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk.
Juncker is of the unified and centralized mindset. His position came to light in his State of the Union address last Wednesday.
Tusk, on the other hand, supports a renationalization and decentralization of the continent, with a focus on practical issues like security, migration, and economics. “We will not […] change the European Union into a single state,” he wrote in a letter of “personal reflections” published before Friday’s summit.
Yet thinking about the EU as either a centralized body of both economic and political union or a decentralized unit led by its member states may not work any longer. The lines have been blurred. In addition, those who support the former idea and those who support the latter may never come to agreement.
Take, for example, Head of the European Parliament Martin Schulz’s comment Friday that he disagrees with Hungary’s and Poland’s renationalization strategies under Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán and Polish de facto leader Jarosław Kaczyński. Schulz called the strategies of answering 21st century challenges with 19th century tactics simply “wrong,” reports POLITICO.
Hungary and Poland, on the other hand, see things differently. In a joint statement released on Friday by the heads of government of the Visegrad group – Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Czech Republic – the leaders call for Europe to “empower the voice of Member States.”
While noting the importance of retaining cooperation within the EU, the statement also outlines the need to “strengthen the role of national parliaments.”
That might be easier said than done given the varying views across the continent.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel proposed the idea of a problem-solver EU, one that can “work together.” Merkel has long been viewed as a proponent of a practical Europe, rather than a political one.
French President François Hollande talked about the world power EU, saying that to help Europeans regain confidence in the EU project, the group must focus on security, youth, and demonstrate that it is capable of being a major world player.
Alexis Tsipras, Greece’s Prime Minister, also chimed in, with his idea of a social Europe that it committed to “growth and prosperity for everyone.”
These three different visions of Europe reflect national concerns, but are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, all three ideas need both a federal Europe and nation states in order to solve problems, project global power, and provide citizens with social benefits.
It is telling that Prime Minister Robert Fico of Slovakia – a Visegard group member that supports powerful national parliaments and has been portrayed as a country wanting to devolve power away from the EU – said Friday, “We all want to show unity, and we want to show that we want to continue with this project.”
This could have simply been paying lip service to the idea of the EU. But it just as likely could have been an understanding that national power and EU power can coexist. Faced with a choice between further polarization or increased harmony, Friday’s gathering seems to suggest the member countries are willing to buy into that coexistence, for now.
Kaitlin Lavinder is a reporter at The Cipher Brief.
