The European Union, often viewed with a British lens focused on bickering and disputes, is much more than its momentary discord. While some may fixate on these internal disagreements, they’re simply missing the bigger picture: the EU is evolving, and it’s doing so rapidly.
EU shifting tides post-Brexit
The Brexit year, 2016, was mired with ominous forecasts that the EU would disintegrate due to its overreaching presence in national matters.
Pessimists argued that a Brexit would soon result in a Frexit, and the entire European edifice would crumble. This was nothing more than wishful thinking for those with a disdain for European unity. However, reality paints a different picture.
Instead of fragmenting, the EU has taken significant strides forward in recent years. What once were sovereign nations adamant about their individual identities are now tilting the scales towards more unified decisions in Brussels.
The very areas they held sacrosanct from EU intervention – health, national defense, and border security – are gradually integrating within the broad framework of the Union.
Expanding horizons: Defense, health, and economics
The 2015 Syrian refugee crisis was a wake-up call. Individual nations realized their inability to manage national borders alone. For the EU, ensuring seamless movement within its territory meant ramping up joint supervision of its outer boundaries.
To put it in perspective, Frontex, the European border and coast guard agency, saw its budget soar by five times between 2015 to 2022.
Meanwhile, the UK, in its quest to “take back control” post-Brexit, ironically discovered that efficient border management actually requires collaboration, especially with EU nations like France.
The pandemic further highlighted the importance of a cohesive strategy. The once nation-bound health policies were in dire need of a unified front.
The widespread inadequacy of national pandemic responses served as a grim reminder, solidifying the European Commission’s central role in orchestrating an EU-wide public health approach.
Moreover, the EU’s economic strategies have been reshaped in the face of crises. Remember the euro crisis between 2009-2012? Germany was staunchly against pooling debt within the eurozone.
But the €672 billion Covid recovery fund obliterated that stand. The eurozone is now inching towards being not just a monetary union but an economic one as well.
Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine ushered in a new chapter for the EU’s defense aspirations. The age-old debate about a European army is finally settling. Although it’s not labeled as the ‘EU army’, Europe is becoming a formidable defense pillar within NATO’s collective shield.
There’s a newfound realization of pooling military resources, streamlining equipment procurement, and channeling coordinated aid, all under the EU’s umbrella.
This transformation isn’t merely Brussels flexing its muscles. Yes, Ursula von der Leyen’s determined leadership has been pivotal. However, it’s the nations themselves pushing for this paradigm shift, recognizing that collaboration trumps isolated action.
Whether it’s financial turmoil, mass migration, health crises, or geopolitical threats, the message is clear: united, they stand stronger.
Thirty years ago, historian Alan Milward argued that post-war European integration was the strategy sovereign nations adopted to address the era’s economic and political challenges.
Fast forward to today, and history seems to be repeating itself, but with renewed vigor and a broader vision.
The EU isn’t just making big moves; it’s making the right moves, irrespective of the cynics who fail to see beyond the immediate squabbles. They’ve got some serious tricks up their sleeves, and it would be naive to think otherwise.
