It is a fateful week for the European Union.
By Friday, we should know whether EU countries will come together to back Ukraine’s continued fight by leveraging Russia’s frozen European assets for a ‘reparations loan’. We should also have clarity on whether the Mercosur trade deal, after a quarter-century of on-again-off-again negotiations, will finally go into effect.
While the collapse of either wouldn’t trigger an immediate implosion, both deals are crucial for Europe’s long-term future – the reparations loan for security and Mercosur for the economy.
Alas, not all capitals see things that way. Bridging the gap has proved fraught – in large part because what Europe needs most at this perilous moment is what it most lacks: leadership.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s failure to lead Europe of late is the reason we now find ourselves at this do-or-die juncture.
By failing to take Belgium’s reservations over the reservation loan seriously and then failing to address them, she has left both Ukraine and Europe on a knife edge.
This column has been more than critical of the Commission president this year. Amid the continued erosion of Europe’s standing in the world in recent months, we see no reason to revise our opinion.
We say that not with schadenfreude, but with a healthy dose of foreboding.
Von der Leyen surely means well. Unfortunately, that’s not enough. At crucial moments, she has failed the leadership test, most disturbingly last week with her refusal to stand up to the Trump administration’s brazen attempt to undermine European democracy.
Instead of drawing a line in the sand, von der Leyen donned a ball gown for a gala to celebrate Trump’s declaration of himself as ‘The Man for Europe’.
When asked about Trump’s attacks on the EU, a smiling von der Leyen offered an explanation that bordered on delusion.
“Of course our relationship to the United States has changed. Why? Because we are changing,” she said.
In most families, such crazy talk would trigger an intervention.
Whatever happens this week, it’s high time for ‘Europe’ to have a serious chat about von der Leyen.
Euractiv | THE BRIEF
No comments:
Post a Comment