Our World in 2018

EUROPE’S FUTURE
Europe must
be made more
effective. Now!
By Maroun Labaki
I
I.A
there are signs that Europe will see some
progress. The Brexit effect, the Trump
changed and a new dynamic is emerging.
Now everyone is waiting for Angela Merkel
to install her new government. Then she will
be able to sit down with Emmanuel Macron
and design and propose new steps towards
European integration. To overcome the
inertia of the European machine, agreement
between Paris and Berlin is not necessarily
enough, but it is essential.
There is a lot of talk these days about
.T
may be new but the idea is as old as Europe
itself. How can we prevent the most reluctant
from stopping others who wish to take
the European project further? Reluctance
can be legitimate, so can fear and even
capriciousness, since these are carried by
democratically elected governments. But
arithmetic, just as democracy, teaches us
that the greatest number must prevail. It
is not right that the likes of Kaczynski and
Orban are able to block Europe single
handedly.
II.T
may not be more dangerous than it used
to be. It is however very dangerous, even
more so since the arrival of Donald Trump at
the White House. Fire is smouldering in the
Middle East, with the radicalisation of Israel,
with war and rivalries between Sunnis and
Maroun
Labaki
Maroun is a Belgian
journalist, author,
and President of the
Press Club Brussels
Europe. Previously,
he was the former
European and
Foreign Editor of
the daily Le Soir
(Brussels). His Most
recent book is
entitled “Trump, tu
ne nous auras pas
2017).
The world we live
in may not be
more dangerous
than it used to be.
It is however very
dangerous, even
more so since the
arrival of Donald
Trump at the White
House.
Shiites, with the victory of Bashar al-Assad,
with the ambitions of the Kurds, with the rise
in power of Turkey, etc. As we have seen,
this instability can mar social cohesion and
sow death in the cities of Western Europe.
It can jeopardise our energy supplies.
It can lead us into armed conflict. To the
East, Russian imperialism is back. Further
NK
fire. And out of everywhere, out of every
underground bunker, comes looming the
threat of proliferation, of biological weapons
and cyber-attacks...
II.E
weight is diminishing and our presence in
the G7 will soon be a farce. Our research
capabilities are dwindling. Tomorrow’s
robots will no doubt speak English, but with
a Chinese or an Indian accent... And how
about tomorrow’s bosses?
To my mind, Europe is a great project for
civilisation. It is the home of human dignity.
Never before has there been a geographical
expanse with such a high degree of peace,
freedom, democracy, prosperity, solidarity,
etc. The European Union is, of course, far
38 2018 | OUR WORLD