The European Union, known for being a concentric international organization, created on the foundations of times marked by war, celebrates once again, in its Strasbourg Plenary, the State of the European Union address (in jargon, SOTEU, for its English acronym). And although each year we attentively witness the solemnity of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, this one has been different. The multilateral order we conceived until now is rapidly fading. Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine continues, and hybrid attacks in Europe continue to increase. Continuing to be convinced that the United States will provide us with a security umbrella against any circumstance that compromises our integrity is no longer a certainty. Likewise, China is consolidating itself as a world power, while instability in the Middle East intensifies.
As if that were not enough, internally the situation does not seem to show us a better scenario. The Ceuta crisis has once again focused the European Union's attention on the contradiction between its declared proclamations and its true realization. The President committed to articulating an "Emergency Mechanism" in response to hybrid attacks on the EU's borders. Measures full of content that fall into the void and the lack of solidarity of European countries with Spain have evidenced the need to promote effective cooperation with those countries whose external borders which - therefore, European, and Spanish - are subject to risks such as those experienced on July 30. In the Saxony-Anhalt elections, nationalist forces gain more ground. Only a resilient and mature European Union can respond to these challenges.
After years of configuring our foreign relations with our allies based on trust, the European Union is no longer content with just trusting. For the first time in a long time, Europeans must be able to guarantee their own security, their cultural and digital sovereignty (AI Act), and their own regulation against the business model of digital platforms based on addictive algorithms. Paradoxically, as happens in our daily lives, crises help us grow, and in the case of the European Union, they have historically acted as catalysts that have provided a greater boost to the integration process. In other words, Europe, when faced with necessity, knows how to provide answers. An example of this was the response to Covid-19, through a common borrowing mechanism, and the support provided to Ukraine, under unprecedented circumstances in the European context.
However, the European Union cannot continue to govern under the emergencies that historical circumstances impose; quite the contrary, Europe needs a strengthened diplomatic muscle, rules of the game that leave unanimity behind in foreign and security policy, greater political cohesion, and a greater institutional response capacity.
The problem of not rising to these challenges will have the consequence that those who look towards the promising horizon of accession will consider that joining the EU would not benefit them. Let's say we are talking about Iceland, where, at the end of August, a close referendum has closed the door to the negotiation of its future entry into the EU. The most plausible reasons could be the lack of reliability and leadership of the EU in the face of the challenges it faces. This result concerns us all. It should invite us to reflect seriously, deeply, and conscientiously on the EU's position to attract new partners in the future.
Among the announcements evoked by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, she mentioned the seventieth anniversary of the Treaties of Rome of 1957, foundational to the then European Communities. There is no more important item on the agenda in this celebration than for the European Union to adopt its own strong voice in a context marked by the undermining of International Law, the breakdown of multilateralism, and the lack of contact with the real problems of citizens.
To want to constitute a European Union capable of responding to the real needs of our societies, of the generations that have been born in them and of those that long for a promising present and future cannot be a utopia, but a task to undertake. In a world marked by instability and global disorder, it behooves us all to mature and write the script of our times. Such a situation will be possible with an adult European Union, with leadership capacity and determined that its voice be not only heard, but taken into account, with utmost respect for its own foundational values and its reason for being.
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