The European Union needs to incorporate two or three states if it wants to regain the self-esteem it has lost in recent years due to geopolitical tensions and the exit of the United Kingdom. This was said yesterday by Federica Mogherini, Rector of the College of Europe and former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the EU, during her speech at the 39th edition of the Economic Circle Meeting.
“Recovering self-esteem is the most important challenge facing the European Union in the upcoming elections. We have lost the sense for which we are together and it would fill us with confidence to incorporate countries like Montenegro, Albania or Moldova. It would help us to believe again in the integration project, and it would also expand borders and strengthen security in a complex geopolitical moment”, he said in front of the audience gathered at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya. According to the Italian academic, achieving this is simple if there is political will. “It is unnecessary to strengthen internal structures, as many advocate, if EU members act in a coordinated manner.” In the same sense, Mogherini rejected the arguments of those who use as an excuse the violation of human and democratic rights of the countries that want to integrate. “It is not a challenge or a European problem, but a global problem that we must monitor and avoid trivializing”, he said.
The intervention, which was moderated by Pol Morillas, director of the Cidob think tank, also addressed the Israeli conflict. Mogherini, as she has maintained in the past, believes that the solution is the recognition of Palestine as a State, at the same time that she regretted that the terrorist group Hamas has appropriated the leadership of the conflict.
Faced with the growth of the global crisis, Mogherini highlighted the European project as an example of cooperation between countries and a formula for achieving peace. “We should rebuild the policy of multilateral pacts and alliances. It is a complex system, but from the historical perspective of the EU, we have seen that it is better to cooperate than to compete”, he stated.
Always from an international point of view, the next American elections were the subject of another debate. Eugene J. Dionne, columnist for the Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, explained why the current president of the United States, Joe Biden, is at risk of losing the election (he is 1.1% behind Donald Trump , according to a survey on Monday), despite the fact that it presents a good economic balance, with the stock markets at their maximum, inflation under control and unemployment at a minimum. “Americans’ perception of price increases is different, especially when it comes to buying essential goods that have an impact on people’s lives,” he explained. Also, the war in the Middle East has weakened the Jewish vote, which was mostly for the Democrats, in the face of the ambiguity of the White House with Israel.
Although, according to Dionne, his rival Donald Trump has been able to exploit the discontent of the working class (increasingly leaning to the right), the industrial crisis and inequalities, the Democratic candidate still has the ability to recover ground, which is played in just six key states. “Joe Biden is more popular in the electorate older than 65, the undecided and in the group that rejects both sides (the so-called double haters)”, he warns. So the game is open. The court cases facing Trump, which could tilt the balance, will hardly be able to have an impact due to a calendar issue.