Zeus, the god of gods, put his marriage in jeopardy to run away with Europa, the woman he was in love with… As for Ovid, the Roman poet, he sang “he carries his prey into the open sea […] with her right hand, she [Europa] holds a horn; her left hand is placed on the rump of the animal…”
Europe remained a great idea when, centuries later, it decided to unite in the aftermath of the two deadliest wars in history. What a magnificent story. Initially, six nations joined together to create the European Coal and Steel Community. They then gradually established a common market for goods, services, capital, and people, democracy with a European Parliament, and finally introduced the euro—to put an end to francs, pesetas, and drachmas.
Now, there are 27 member states. The euro is present from Portugal to the Polish border. What is the next logical step? The United States of Europe, of course.
The grandest experiment since the 13 American colonies united under the motto “E Pluribus Unum” is currently facing the most severe crisis of its existence. Why did what seemed like an inexorable march towards progress suddenly come to a halt?
Let’s compare integration to the ascent of the Rockies or the Alps. At the beginning or on the foothills, it’s easy. As we move forward, the slope steepens and the air becomes rarer. Finally, we reach the peak of the cliff, a cliff that represents the essence of national sovereignty.
That is where we stand today, with the euro—the achievement we are most proud of, but which threatens to bury us. We have come too far, what do we do now? We only have three options: retreat, stop everything, or attack.
Should we tackle the summit and climb towards the United States of Europe?
History tells us that there has never been a real unification without war, after which the stronger force others to form a single state. This is what happened in Italy, Germany, and the United States, where the Civil War was, in fact, a war of national unification.
No such conflict will happen in Europe, and thank goodness. There is no Bismarck or Lincoln on the European horizon. And Frau Merkel is certainly not a Bismarck.
In fact, what does this current crisis reveal? It indicates that you cannot reach the summit if you are not both willing and capable. For this, one must give up the biggest portion of democratic sovereignty: the power to tax and spend.
The greatest problem remains the stubborn tenacity of the nation-state, which refuses to submit if the very essence of its sovereignty is at stake. According to the Germans, friendship stops at the point of money, and it is the same for integration.
To be honest, how many French, Italians, Germans, Poles, etc., would be willing to give up 2,000 years of history? Who would agree to be governed from Brussels and not from their national capital?
We are left to implore Zeus to save Europe from the tumultuous waves… after all, doesn’t love work miracles?
