A Europe of Nations? 🤨 No thanks!

LinkedIn blog post, 31/08/2025, by Sven Franck (en français , in Deutsch)

TL;DR – Giorgia Meloni did not want the spotlight to be stolen from her at the recent Rimini Meeting. Contrary to Mario Draghi pleading for European integration she was pledging for a... Europe of Nations. As if more of the status quo was suddenly the solution.

Show of Farce

It's a fine line to walk for leaders in this Europe of Nations. Arranging oneself with Putin while enamoured with Trump. Supporting the EU while plotting to dismantle it. Fully aware that, in doing so, you have to play solo-campaign: no more coordination and cohesion but fending for yourself. Proudly waving national banners in return for potentially ending up as sacrificial pawn in the next gambit of the world's new self proclaimed kings.

Yes, one could argue, the EU is also just a pawn, because "look at the EU-US trade deal", but instead of external forces making us vassals, the fault for the EU sucking up to Trump lies squarely on the "Europe of Nations" protagonists. As long as the Commission remains their marionette and each pulls strings according to their respective (and foreign) interest, the EU can't stand no less dance on the geopolitical parquet.

How more of this pulling will be a panacea to all of our challenges is beyond me. What if (randomly picking) Malta, Cyprus and Spain wanted to partake in the coalition of the willing? Will the "Europe of Nations" fly to negotiations with the equivalent of a football team followed by a small plane with Ursula von der Leyen on which sometimes António Costa can ride shotgun? "Show of force" and "Show of farce" are not far apart.

Does leading mean to wait until decisions are made?

Emmanuel Berretta said it well in Le Point that: "European leaders don’t listen to Mario Draghi because he forces them to choose. Between national sovereignty and European efficiency. Between the comfort of the status quo and the necessity of change. Between an Europe of compromises and an Europe of power."

I'm actually starting to wonder, if we should really call Giorgia Meloni, Merz et al "European" leaders, because "Europe of Nations" in action means putting German car exports and Italian wine over a united European position. Even "leaders" is somewhat unwarranted, because they clearly waste tempo after tempo by not presenting or supporting a vision of how our European Union should function in the future.

If we continue with this "Europe of Nations", important decisions will be made for us. With a lot of bitter pills to swallow. What can we do about it? We can try to make the "Status quo" as uncomfortable as possible, so that eventually "change" becomes a viable option. We can try with #jumpstartEU.