Europe- a new mindset needed for new times

It has long been a truism that there is a profound mismatch between the EU’s economic heft and its geopolitical clout. But only a year into Mr Trump’s second term, the disjunction looks unsustainable in the “America first” era. If the EU is to properly assert and protect itself, and project its values in a menacing multipolar world, it needs to start acting with the self-confidence and clarity that should come naturally to an economic superpower whose GDP dwarfs that of Russia.

The time has surely come, for example, to address the decision-making processes of a union comprising 27 member states, in which the veto mechanism frequently allows small minorities to block decisive action.

instead of raising the money by cutting public spending in other areas, the bolstering of a distinctive social model should become a twin priority. The rise of national populism across the continent – which Mr Trump and his Maga acolytes hope will eventually tear the EU apart – is intimately linked to disillusionment associated with rising inequality and post-crash austerity. Strengthening social solidarity, as well as armies, is key to Europe’s future.

The Covid pandemic demonstrated that, when confronted with a health emergency, the EU could mobilise its vast collective resources creatively, ambitiously and successfully. Its leaders should show the same flexibility and determination now, leveraging the power of a union comprising 450 million people to stand up for liberal democratic principles that the White House and Vladimir Putin hold in contempt. That may ultimately mean “more Europe”, in the sense of greater integration in relation to security and the economy. The unpalatable alternative is a dangerously weak one in predatory times.

The Guardian view on Europe’s crisis of self-confidence: a new mindset needed for new times