The year 2024 has been marked by three important reports from Enrico Letta (Much More Than a Market), Mario Draghi (The Future of European Competitiveness) and Sauli Niinistö (Safer together: A path towards a fully prepared Union).
In the context of the return of Donald Trump to the White House, what lessons can be learned from those reports and for the future of Europe?
Domenico Rossetti di Valdalbero from UEF.Be moderated the debate that was introduced by Catherine Vieilledent from UEF Groupe Europe.
Four speakers were intervening: Domenec Ruiz Devesa, former MEP and President of UEF, Eric Phillipart, Sherpa for the Letta Report and Senior Expert at DG GROW, Valeria Ronzitti, Secretary General of the Services of General Interest and Luca Visentini, former Secretary General of the European Trade Union Confederation.
Among the insights on the Letta, Draghi and Niinistö reports that President von der Leyen quoted on 27/11/2024 in Strasbourg before her second Commission being approved by the European Parliament, one can remind:
- Europe should be more united to face Russian military threat, Chinese industrial competition and US led by D. Trump from 20 January 2025;
- 300 billion € of European savings are flying on the other side of the Atlantic (Letta). Why not creating a 28th EU stock-exchange in Europe to attract innovative companies?
- 800 billion € of EU bonds proposed by Draghi could relaunch the investments and the (cross-border) infrastructures in our Union;
- Security and resilience are particularly important in a cyber-threat geopolitical environment (Niinistö).
Some quotes from the UEF event:
- Corneille is back in Europe with the ‘CID’, the Clean Industrial Deal!
- Let’s be proud of our ‘competitiveness à l’ européenne’;
- Some ‘net-contributors to EU budget are great net winners in the Single Market’!
- Well-being of European citizens should be the priority of new economic policy;
- Efforts should be done in Europe to stimulate innovation and productivity gains.
A European Constitution as proposed by Altieri Spinelli 40 years ago (or at least a major Treaty reform abolishing unanimity as requested by UEF President) would allow the EU to look forward at the next decades. Stronger together!