For the past few decades, Europeans were mainly focused on taming this impulse in the name of supranational cooperation. It follows that Europe’s decoupling from Russian energy will also be accompanied by efforts to make Europe less dependent on China.Ī third question involves the concept of sovereignty. This realisation came hot on the heels of worries about mask diplomacy and vaccine nationalism during the covid-19 pandemic, when many countries found themselves wholly reliant on others for critical supplies. ![]() The hope was that, even if economic links between countries did not make war impossible, they would at least prevent a dangerous escalation in tensions.Įuropean leaders must recognise that the EU experience is an exceptional product of a particular history and geographyīut Russia’s invasion made a mockery of this idea, demonstrating that interdependence can also enable one party to blackmail the other. ![]() That was the idea behind the original European Coal and Steel Community (the precursor to the EU), which turned former enemies into friends by merging the national industries that had produced the munitions for the second world war. European integration previously reflected the belief that economic links between countries would create a foundation for political reconciliation. Moreover, the EU has fashioned its economy into a weapon to use against Russia, and it is now planning for a war economy, where security will take priority over efficiency.Ī second major change is that Europeans must rethink interdependence. Taboos have been broken, with EU member states sending heavy weapons to Ukraine and the European Union’s “peace facility” pledging €2 billion to arm that beleaguered country. There has been much discussion about German rearmament, Denmark’s decision to participate in European joint defence arrangements, and Sweden and Finland’s bid for NATO membership. ![]() Most obviously, they now must concern themselves with hard power. The peace project has given way to a war project, and this fundamental shift is forcing European governments to reconsider some of their longest-held principles. But, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, Europe has found itself unifying in response to war. For seven decades, European integration has been driven by the quest for peace.
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