Quo vadis, EU?

June 2025

The EU has never stood still. Born out of the ashes of war and division, it has evolved continuously in response to crises, aspirations and the demands of its citizens. However, in recent years, its sense of direction has become increasingly uncertain.

So, let’s take a step back. What does community mean today? What does the Union really stand for? These two words, so central to the genesis of the EU, once evoked a sense of shared purpose, mutual responsibility and collective progress. They signalled a commitment to shaping a shared future grounded in solidarity and common rules. However, today they risk becoming empty labels, divorced from their original meaning.

Instead of contributing to something greater than ourselves, the EU is all too often treated as a source of entitlements to be claimed rather than responsibilities to be shared. We are drifting towards a Union of cherry-pickers – a patchwork of selective engagements where Member States embrace only what suits them while disregarding what binds the Union together.

Examples abound. Some demand access to EU funding but reject the core democratic principles attached to it, such as the separation of powers, freedom of the press and protection of minorities. Others insist on the benefits of Schengen and free movement, yet unilaterally reintroduce border checks or pick and choose whom to admit. Calls for a level playing field in the single market go hand in hand with a race to approve national subsidies that favour domestic firms over fair competition.